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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sheldon to Drew: Shut Up About Me

       One minute, it was a slightly boring, back-down-to-business, first day of real preparation for the season opener.

       Then, suddenly, it was 2005 again.

       Reporters wanted to know Wednesday how Sheldon Brown felt about Drew Rosenhaus, the agent of his friend and teammate, Lito Sheppard, saying that Sheppard should be starting ahead of Brown in a video Rosenhaus disseminated last week.  (link here.)

     Brown had several thoughts on the matter, starting with his view of Sheppard's idea that changing agents, from  Peter Schaffer to Rosenhaus, would somehow get the Eagles to trade him, which was the ultimate point of last week's video.

    "If you know (Rosenhaus') track record, it's more of a disappointment to me that he enticed the guy into signing with him," Brown said. "Thinking that he could get the deal done. Agents don't get the deals done. The player gets the deal done. That's what's disappointing.

    "I wouldn't say it bothered me, because I'm bigger than that, I'm a professional ... Drew hasn't been with Sheldon Brown for 7 years; I think he's been with Lito for 2 months. He hasn't followed by career. He hasn't broke down any film; he probably couldn't tell you what number (Brown wears). It's really irrelevant ... (from watching the video) you would think the guy has been scouting tape and know(ing) the statistics and following us our whole career.

   "A lot of times, people should just worry about their (own) jobs."

     Brown said he had not spoken to Sheppard, who dresses in the next stall, about what Rosenhaus said. It's a problem for Rosenhaus and Sheppard if Sheppard doesn't start this season, because whenever a trade occurs, Sheppard wants a state-of-the-art contract for an elite corner, which he is unlikely to get as the third guy.

      Brown and Sheppard have been the Birds' starters since the Super Bowl season of 2004. After Sheppard missed 14 games over the past three seasons and began seeking a contract revision, the Eagles signed Asante Samuel to a $57 million free agent deal and gave him Sheppard's spot at left corner. That left Brown and Sheppard to compete at Brown's right corner spot, a competition Brown seems to have won, for now.

       Sheppard saw the large group of reporters at Brown's stall and took a seat at Sean Considine's cublicle, several lockers away from his own. But the savvy newshounds eventually realized he was not Considine, and approached him for comment anyway.

    Sheppard said he hadn't seen the video. But under pointed questioning about how smart it was for Rosenhaus to get one of Sheppard's closest friends angry about being included in Sheppard's get-away bid, Sheppard adamantly defended his agent.

    "That's between him and Drew," Sheppard said at first. "I didn't say it. (Bleep). What did (Rosenhaus say)?"

    Given a quick synopsis, Sheppard said: "Ask Drew about that."

     When it was pointed out that Rosenhaus represents Sheppard, and thus said these things in Sheppard's name, Sheppard said: "He wasn't talking to ya'll, he wasn't talking to Sheldon, he was talking to the organization."

    Someone pointed out that a YouTube video is not a private conversation with Joe Banner.

   "You're right, he did put it out there, didn't he?" Sheppard agreed.

     "I have no control over how he forms his argument about my situation," Sheppard said. "Stats are stats. It is what it is. If it takes him to say stuff like that, then obviously, he feels like it's a point to be made. As far as me, I'm never going to talk bad about somebody else, especially on my team, to try to uplift myself. I'm not that kind of guy.

     "So ya'll tell me why I'm not starting. I mean, that's the question. (Signing Samuel) has nothing to do with me."

   (Insert photo of puzzled reporters scratching their heads. Huh? Of course it had something to do with you, Lito.)

     "I let him do his job and I do mine. I ain't got no problem with nothing he does. If that's what ya'll are asking, I don't have a problem with it."

   Ask if he worried this could become a distraction similar to the Terrell Owens follies of 2005 (also co-starring Rosenhaus), Sheppard said: "If it does, it does. If it don't, it don't. I'm just playing football and doing my best and letting everything else take care of itself."

      Asked if he felt the T.O. drama affected the team, Sheppard said: "Of course ... but it started with you guys ... the distractions start with you."

   (More head-scratching. Wasn't it Sheppard who two days earlier suggested we should all ask coaches why he wasn't starting?)

    "Right, but that's not down-talking anybody on this team," Sheppard said.

   "I back Drew, whatever he does and however he does it. Otherwise I wouldn't have hired him."

   Even if it upsets a close friend?

   "Hey, well, I'm upset. (Bleep).

    Bleep, indeed.      

Posted by Les Bowen @ 4:03 PM  Permalink | 57 comments
Comments   
Posted 01:57 PM, 09/03/2008
fladd
Love it Sheldon Brown. Spoken like a Champ!
Posted 01:57 PM, 09/03/2008
Shabba Rommel
Typical Rosenhaus MO. I hope the Eagles let Lito sit the whole season on the sidelines as tradebait. Why not, they got him cheap.
Posted 01:59 PM, 09/03/2008
fladd
My first post was 86ed for My honest opinion. Hat's off to S. Brown.
Posted 01:59 PM, 09/03/2008
phillybob
ROSENHAUS...a very smart, underhanded slime of a person who knows what he is doing and will use anyone in any manner to WIN...in the name of doing what is best for his client. SHEPPARD...a guy who doesn't completely understand what is going on or the ruthlessness and lack of ethics employed by the slime that he hired to represent him, and the effect that it is having on people he cares about and ultimately on him.
Posted 02:12 PM, 09/03/2008
MVKrum
Sad. Lito has NO business whining about a contract. Sad. Stay on the field you BUM.
Posted 02:15 PM, 09/03/2008
gho_matt
I hope he comes in on a nickle sitation and breaks his leg... who cares about our loss in trade value, he aint isht anyway.
Posted 02:24 PM, 09/03/2008
Stephen_Niksa
Rosenhaus is nearly as disgusting as Don King. They both thrive on greed.
Posted 02:27 PM, 09/03/2008
Super5
14 games missed in the last 3 years! & he wants a renegotiation? Come on dude!
Posted 02:28 PM, 09/03/2008
Bake McBride
Let Leeetoh return punts and play special teams deeefense!
Comment removed.
Posted 02:35 PM, 09/03/2008
JimG
Lito is dead on. TO didn't act alone back in 2005. You can't have a media circus with a "media". None of this stuff is a distraction if the media doesn't keep asking the players about it over and over every single day. The only distractions come from the media. How sad the state of Philly sports reporting has become when over half of "news" each day consists of asking coaches and players their opinion about something someone else said. This is getting ridiculous. "Hey Sheldon, did you hear what Drew said about Lito?" "Hey Lito, did you hear what Sheldon said about what Drew said about you?" "Hey Sheldon, did you hear what Lito said about what you said about what Drew said about Lito?" You guys are worse than a pack of junior high girls. By the way, there are 50 other guys on the team (plus 8 practice squad players). Can you guys please ask something of someone other than Sheppard, Brown and Samuel? You guys are beating a dead horse. Sheppard wants to start or he wants to be traded and he wants a new contract. We get it. This is the same story we've been hearing about for months.
Posted 02:37 PM, 09/03/2008
greaser0305
Eagles need to sign Sheldon to a lucrative long term deal today. See how how Lito and Drew like that.
Comment removed.
Posted 02:42 PM, 09/03/2008
nervegenerator
This is crazy...Trade him already...Get some value....a 2nd round pick...anything.
Posted 02:49 PM, 09/03/2008
kingsolomonsmind
I hope Lito has a private conversation with his friend Sheldon and patches up the misunderstanding before the season starts. Some things are more important than money. Friendship is one of them. By the same token, I also hope that Lito lasts through the season, plays spectacularly, and gets the new deal he deserves as one of the best corners in the league ... It's a shame that people would actually wish him harm for wanting to be well-compensated for doing his job.
Posted 02:55 PM, 09/03/2008
ThugLife
Lido shuffle.
Posted 02:59 PM, 09/03/2008
Reggie Noble
Lito and JimG nailed it. Overreporting is really, really annoying and gets nothign accomplished.
Posted 03:06 PM, 09/03/2008
davekrieg
Shame on Andy Reid. He should have learned from 2005 that this can happen and to not have moved Shephard when the time was right was wrong. Sure you may not have gotten equal value but it's better than reliving 05' again.
Posted 03:15 PM, 09/03/2008
engineeringagr8tdrive
The posters on here defending Lito are on some serious drugs. How can you say that Lito has out performed a contract he signed when he has missed 14 games in the past 3 years due to injury? A perfect example of how the Eagles reward great play - Brian Westbrook! There is a man who wanted a new contract didn't go off in the media like Lito, didn't hire scum for an agent, and now has a brand new contract. That is the way the Eagles like to work. And any good business would work the same way as the Eagles; see which employees earned and deserved a new deal. As far as I'm concerened Lito doesn't deserve a new deal because he has been sitting at home collecting checks from the Eagles when he's been hurt the past 3 years. Now if Lito just shuts his mouth, fires the scum of an agent, and plays excellent football for the next 8 weeks or so then the Eagles might want to throw big money at him because they know he won't be a headache.
Posted 03:18 PM, 09/03/2008
extremebeat
Maybe if we treat Rosendork like teeth (ignore him and he will go away)we can have an enjoyable season! I mean...this is exactly what he wants!!!He wants his money and he will slither on his scummy belly to get it! I also think that this is his way of getting back at the Eagles for standing up to him. All of the teams that pucker up, seem to have no problem, the ones that stand their ground get slimed!!! I am now truly convinced that it was Rosendork in the garden that caused the fall of man!
Posted 03:31 PM, 09/03/2008
joker1
Lito......Lito likes his money......He makes a lot they say.......spends his days kissing.......Drew's a** in the light of day......hey Lito you a f*g? Funny watching you kiss ol Drew's backside.
Posted 03:35 PM, 09/03/2008
BountyBowl
That was absolutely phenomenal. +1 to Les for navigating the written complexity of quotes that involve multiple third-person self references.
Posted 03:44 PM, 09/03/2008
PhillySubsMac
This is what you get, Lee-to, when you hire a slimeball like Drew to represent you. And it absolutely reflects on you. Unfortunately, I look for the volume to go up further, although we won't get to driveway push-ups thankfully. And I think the Eagles will let him sit and think about his value as a nickel corner for next year. Let it be.
Posted 04:07 PM, 09/03/2008
Cant Climb
Is Lito still going to get time with the Offense....?
Posted 04:08 PM, 09/03/2008
726
No one gets the better end of any deal w/ Joe "Nickels" Banner and Howie "Dimes " Roseman!
Posted 04:14 PM, 09/03/2008
Shabba Rommel
Lito wants a new contract. Lito fires his agent and hires Rosenhaus who is notorious for breaking up relationships between players and teams. Remember Drew doesnt get paid unless there is a new contract. Eagles have said "no new contract" so its in Rosenhaus' best interest to force a trade to seek a new contract. Ealges are smart though, they know the game Drew is playing and, as a result of TO, now know how to handle this. They brought in Asante and Lito will get less and less playing time the more Drew ratchets up the pressure. Doesnt hurt the Eagles at all, they have a good deal with Lito (he went after the big front loaded signing bonus). Rosenhaus is a disgrace to himself and his religion.
Posted 04:26 PM, 09/03/2008
cujat13
If lee-toe wasn't injury prone i think the eagles and most fans would agree that he should get more money....but the guy has missed almost 1/3 of their games in the last few years! You cant take a signing bonus and agree to a contract and then 2 injury filled years later demand more money, it just doesn't make any sense. I like Lito and have followed him since he was in college, but he is dead wrong in expecting a new contract and is acting like a spoiled baby through his agent!
Posted 04:35 PM, 09/03/2008
Drew777
If I'm not starting I ain't departing.
Posted 04:38 PM, 09/03/2008
stevo8drum
Relax everyone.... this will continue until about the bye week and then no trade can happen. There really isnt much more he can do then cry. He has been stripped of all his leadership roles and now he's just a nickle corner. If I were the birds FO I would answer every lito Q with a grin and a "next question".
Posted 04:45 PM, 09/03/2008
gho_matt
lol, Lito shuffle...
Comment removed.
Posted 04:54 PM, 09/03/2008
Braveheart
YouTube, aka Driveway 2.0.
Posted 04:57 PM, 09/03/2008
gordy
I've seen less transparent windows then Rosenhause. His motives are so driven by PERSONAL greed. He does nothing for his clients other then creating badwill. He is bad for Lito, he is bad for the Eagles he is bad for sports! Good for Sheldon (who I personally believe is very underated)for speaking up. Rosenhaus is nothing but a rabble rouser who ultimately get's his clients less then they deserve. They get tagged as a "troubled" player. This in turn lessens the demand for these players and drives their market values down. Rosenhuas should be punched everytime he opens his mouth. By the way, it's not LEE-TOE it's Liddo. I just wish Liddo was smart enough to realize that if his agent hasn't taken the time to properly learn his name how can he possibly truly represent him!!!
Posted 05:02 PM, 09/03/2008
gordy
Sorry, meant to spell it Lito but Lito pronounces it as Liddo. Senement is still the same though.
Comment removed.
Posted 05:22 PM, 09/03/2008
Ryan
rosenhaus is such a tool. and lito is dumb for thinking he now is the best time to get himself a new deal when he's been constantly hurt the last few years. how bout proving yourself on the field for the next year and then asking for more money.
Posted 05:28 PM, 09/03/2008
Skena
Leetoe deserves all he gets and does not get because he chose an agent no one likes and no one respects. Bad choice for Leetoe. He does not need an agent he needs a psychiatrist. Rosenhaus ruins careers and relationships.
Posted 05:36 PM, 09/03/2008
JeffA
Kudos to Sheldon Brown. Lito wasn't prepared. That's his agent's fault for not preparing Lito for the questions, for the slamming of his friend. Media is a part of this. It's a YouTube. If you let it sit there and never talked about it, it wouldn't accomplish anything. By asking Sheldon and Lito about it, the media pumps life into it.
Posted 05:37 PM, 09/03/2008
keithturbo
Boz Scaggs, represent!
Posted 05:46 PM, 09/03/2008
nizzies
SEND LITO TO DALLAS SO HE ROMO AND T-LIPSTICK CAN BLOW EACHOTHER
Posted 05:58 PM, 09/03/2008
Tampa Bay North Fan
Distractions, distractions, distractions! YES! Please run Lito outta town like you guys did T.O.! Please keep up the hate of Lito! At this rate the Eagles will go 8-8 or even 7-9! Yes. Go Iggles!
Posted 06:01 PM, 09/03/2008
Bob1
Looks like blood isn't thicker than money-infested water. Instead of keeping his mouth shut and going back to his agent, he drive a deeper wedge between him and his "closest friend". Jeez this team is full of high maintenance chicks.
Posted 06:08 PM, 09/03/2008
Tampa Bay North Fan
Hey how did the "booing" of J Roll go? YES! The Phils went from 1 game up to 2.5 back! Can you guys keep up the good work but for the pigeons, i mean, Iggles (I think it is spelled and pronounced by REAL Philly area people as Eagles not those fake New York accented people)? With the great fans and media in Philly, any team can beat ANY Philly team! Thanks Philly fans! Say it with Howard Eskin, Lito must go!
Posted 07:11 PM, 09/03/2008
Nzenaozo
Can someone tell me....if Rosen-nonsense will ever learn? Lito is a f***k too!!!!! He has been injured and is going about his contract stuff by creating a rift between his best pal. LJ Smith completed his contract but knowing that he was injured just one season he took the franchise tag and he is playing for a new contract.....Does Lito think that if LJ plays very well, he will not get his payday? What about Westy? Is Lito a better player than westy who has been underpaid throughout his EAGLE career? I think Lito should just rot on the bench and let see how much he makes this year.....
Posted 07:37 PM, 09/03/2008
p-diddy
If I were Andy Reid, I'd privately let Sheppard and Rosenhaus know that if this public yapping doesn't stop, NOW, Sheppard will be sent home for the remainder of the season. Joselio Hanson is a decent third corner, and I wouldn't mind seeing what Quentin Demps can do on defense.
Comment removed.
Posted 07:52 PM, 09/03/2008
Ponzio
You may argue that Lito is underpaid for his skill level but you can also argue that he’s overpaid for the amount of games he’s played. I hope that he plays spectacularly at corner, returns punts, given a few plays at WR & plays special teams helping us to win the title. I hope Drew Rosenhaus vocal chords suffer a misfortune. “That should do it Santa!”
Posted 08:31 PM, 09/03/2008
JACK V
kingsolomonsmind....WANTING TO BE WELL COMPENSATED FOR DOING HIS JOB? FIRST HE HAS TO DO IT, SAY 13 OUT OF 16 GAMES. THEN HE WILL START EARNING THE 2M FROM HIS PRESENT CONTRACT. WHAT, TWO MILLION PER YEAR IS NOT WELL COMPENSATED? EVERYONE WISHES LITO THE BEST AND EXPECTS HIM TO GIVE HIS BEST WHILE HE'S HERE. IT WOULD ALSO HELP IF HIS AGENT DID BUSINESS PROFESSIONALY.
Posted 09:32 PM, 09/03/2008
gulfportdan
Punk...I back Drew. Tell Drew to put on a jock strap...and stop the jock sniffin. It's definitely going to his head.
Posted 09:40 PM, 09/03/2008
BobbyD
Eagles need to dump Lito and his a hole agent FAST.
Posted 12:31 AM, 09/04/2008
stackhouse
Another example of high paid athletes acting like babies. I wish I could miss that much time of work and ask for a raise. The problem is these guys don't know how to manage their money when they first get their signing bonus(trying to live with the joneses) and they want new contracts its ridiculous
Posted 05:20 AM, 09/04/2008
tony b
Who said Lito was dead on. Did the media incite Drew to make his You Tube video....all in the name of helping his client? Sure...the media goes out of their way to look for a story, JimG....but why do stupid isht to draw attention to yourself? THAT'S THE ISSUE T.O & DREW NEVER LEARNED. Now we got T.O.'s agent doing it again...and Lito playing stupid by saying HE would never say anything about his teamates himself....but basically it's OK for his agent to do that on Lito's behalf? if you care about your so called " friends " and teamates Lito, how do you justify your selfishness. Yes, the media shines the spotlight...but it's still the CLOWNS that open their mouths and take center stage.
Posted 06:37 AM, 09/04/2008
Big Ragu
Give Sheldon a raise Joe Banner...he deserves it. Drew Rosen-azz is a Dope. Go play in traffic you too but agent.
Posted 12:53 PM, 09/04/2008
mwilgus
Eagles are playing this right ... a premier corner will go down in the first handful of weeks and the Eagles will make a deal and get a top draft pick.
Posted 01:03 PM, 09/04/2008
Steelton1
Sheldon Brown is a classy guy! I like and respect him as a player, but the bottom line is that a HEALTHY Lito Sheppard is a better cornerback than Sheldon and IMO Asante Samuel as well. This is the NFL!! The best players should play (unless injured) and they should also be paid the most. It's not about players feelings being hurt by what an agent has to say. This is the NFL, not the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Posted 03:24 PM, 09/04/2008
craig123
Lito, you sold your sole to the devil (Rosenhaus), good luck with that..........
Comment removed.
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About Eagletarian Blog
Les BowenLes Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.

You can now follow Les Bowen on Twitter.

Paul DomowitchPaul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.

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