Wheaties ad or not, this Super Bowl won`t match 1986 as a financial bonanza for the winning New York Giants, says David Fishof, the agent who has cut some of their juiciest deals.
”Winning elevates everyone,” says Fishof, whose clients include Giants Phil Simms and Mark Bavaro. ”But the endorsements in `86 were unreal, because of what everyone did. Jim Burt going into the stands, Phil McConkey waving the flag. Simms was great, Bavaro had the game of his life. I was doing a deal a day.
”This Super Bowl is hampered by the war, and the economy. Plus there will be a quarterback controversy, which hurts both Phil and Jeff Hostetler. What company wants to sign the guy who might end up on the bench?”
Because you have to think about things like this, Fishof says, becoming an agent wrecks your career as a fan.
But there are compensations. Like the panoramic southwest view of New Jersey and Manhattan from his 18th floor office. Like the fact that at the age of 33, he`s rich enough to have retired once already. He came back because he missed the action. On Super Bowl night he sent a letter to Giants` general manager George Young telling him to ”enjoy tonight because tomorrow is when the fun begins. Everyone wants money. Everyone wants to know about Plan B.”
As if to prove his point, he is handed a note from Bill Belichick. Nothing new yet. Fishof sighs and recalls that he once wanted to play sports himself. ”I loved football and baseball. I played first base.”
But he didn`t have the size or speed. He also couldn`t play Friday night or Saturday, because he keeps the Jewish sabbath.
More Top Picks Watches
So he became an agent, helped by the late Larry Fleisher, and now he scores in his own way: a $4.2 million deal for Simms, $3 million for Bavaro. He took Vince Ferragamo to Canada for a deal that gave him a piece of the gate. The night war broke out in the Persian Gulf, he was on the phone with Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott and her son, getting $2 million-plus for Randy Myers.