THE NEGOTIATORS: Agents rate high in pros’ eyes

Warren Moon is comfy, perched in his office chair, and reminiscing about the year he began to shop for representation.

Back then the future Pro Football Hall of Fame member’s situation wasn’t so secure. It was 1978, when searching for a sports agent who understood him proved trying. Almost as much for him in finding a quarterback in the NFL who resembled the recent Rose Bowl MVP.

As an African American, Moon knew the opportunity to play quarterback was as low as the jersey number he wore at the University of Washington.

But No. 1 wanted to play the No. 1 position on the football field. Be the face of a franchise.

Agents, scouts, you name them, tried advising Moon to switch positions before the NFL Draft. Move to tight end, wide receiver, or defensive back, anywhere but attempt to pass. Why? Only two other African American quarterbacks had started a game in the NFL before Moon entered the draft.

So, not even Moon could shoot for the Moon.

Not until Leigh Steinberg sought Moon’s services. Four years in the sports agent business, the newbie believed in the kid growing up in Los Angeles. Why? The connection between the two — Steinberg and Moon attended Hamilton High. Eight years apart.

But even the linkage, Steinberg recalls the tests he took in order to convince Moon to sign with him.

“He had businessmen, alums, writers from the Los Angeles Times, everybody calling to scrutinize my background,” Steinberg said. “He was meticulously careful, a thorough person, it almost felt like I was going through an FBI background [check]. My brother [Don], who’s an ambassador in the state government, had an easier time getting confirmed than I did.”

Once landing Moon, the two waited for the pre-draft activities. But the invitation to the pro football combine, where teams get an opportunity to see potential draftees work out, never came. Individual workouts for coaches, none.

Teams in the NFL draft passed on a passer.

Steinberg stood by Moon — even after Moon’s only shot to play quarterback was in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos. Six years and winning five Grey Cups is what it took for Moon to receive an opportunity to begin an illustrious 17-year career in the NFL in which he threw for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdowns, both rank in the top five all-time.

The support from Steinberg is something Moon said he treasured. Moon was able to be a trailblazer for African American quarterbacks. And he and Steinberg have remained close ever since. Now they’re business partners at Leigh Steinberg Enterprises in Newport Beach.

During his playing days and now working with athletes as vice president of player development and a broadcaster with one of his former four teams, the Seattle Seahawks, Moon said he’s seen and heard his share of stories of agents turning their backs on their clients as fast as an igloo melting in the summer.

“He really worked hard for me as if I was a first-round draft pick. At least that’s what I felt like with the amount of time he put into me,” Moon said. “A lot of guys were unhappy with their agents, and what they liked about Leigh is that they always saw him around. Even though I was playing in Canada ... he would come up there and watch us play. Guys were impressed by that because you didn’t see their agents coming up to watch them play.”

The key to Steinberg’s successful career, which began in 1975, when he signed No. 1 draft pick Steve Bartkowski, is the amount of face time with a client. The same can be said about baseball’s top agent, Scott Boras, whose Boras Corp. is based in Newport Beach.

The two are on different paths now, with Boras, 54, still representing many of baseball’s stars and highest-paid players, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito and New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran, with contracts totaling $252, $126 and $119 million, respectively.

Steinberg, 58, is reloading his agency. He gave up control of its cliental after the past draft and his agency is focusing its efforts on projects involving the environment, politics, health, marketing, and sports with entertainment.

Boras sticks to what he knows best — baseball. And that has allowed the former minor leaguer to build long-standing relationships with players.

Adrian Beltre of the Seattle Mariners said he has been with Boras since he was 15. The third baseman calls the situation perfect, just as he said his two teammates, pitchers Jarrod Washburn and Jeff Weaver, view Boras’ representation.

“Any time you have an agent who’s played and understands the game, it’s going to benefit the player because he knows what you’re experiencing,” said Beltre, who is in the third year of a five-year, $64 million contract. “I didn’t get involved [during my last contract negotiations with the Los Angeles Dodgers]. I don’t want to get involved.

“He gives you the best advice you can imagine.”

The information Boras relays, or argues, gives everyone an idea in a room of how prepared he his in showing a player’s is worth. The info comes in thick binders, detailing every statistical category you can imagine. But it’s how Boras conveys the numbers that captures attentions

Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves reaped the benefits during a salary arbitration hearing in 2001, when Boras earned Jones almost $2 million more than the $6.4 the team offered. The argument for the salary hike? Boras made it known that Jones was the game’s fourth outfielder to lead baseball in putouts between 1998-2000. More putouts, means owners must put out more money for a Boras client.

“As a litigator, obviously, you have three judges that are very trained lawyers, and you’re there as an advocate, you’re there prepared to present a case,” said Boras, making arbitrations sound so easy. “You go in there for about an hour and 15 minutes or so, and you present your case and [the team] presents [its], then you have a rebuttal.”

Boras has negotiated the first $100 million deal to the first $200 million deal. Whatever you want, Boras can most likely get it for an athlete, making his 70 clients fond of him.

Most of Steinberg’s big-time clients of the past, from Moon to Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young to future Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith also praise their relationship with the man inspiring Tom Cruise’s character in the popular 1996 film “Jerry Maguire.”

Besides negotiating lucrative contracts and setting up athletes financially for life, all agree that Steinberg’s greatest strength is making sure there’s life after football.

Whether it’s founding a charity like Young did with the “Forever Young Foundation” that’s aimed at aiding disadvantaged and sick children, or starting a minority-owned commercial real estate business like Smith did with “Bruce Smith Enterprises“ that gives back to the surrounding area of his alma mater Virginia Tech and throughout Virginia, players owe much of the success to Steinberg’s advice.

“His reputation proceeded him and he had an organization that pretty much was a one-stop shop. He had other legal advisors, handful of other various [people] that would benefit my personal career on and off the field,” said Smith, who in 19 years recorded an NFL record 200 sacks. “I didn’t get to Leigh until my latter part of my career. I tended to look at myself as a high-profile player, and with that being said, I wanted to be treated as such. Even though I was amongst a number of NFL quarterbacks [that Steinberg represented], I happened to be the guy who stopped the quarterback.

“He was a big advocate of trying to prepare guys after their careers are over to make the right contacts while they are playing and trying not to burn any bridges. Those contacts have been very good to me. Not only was Leigh my agent, but a good friend.”

Troy Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and one of Steinberg’s record eight No. 1 draft picks, called Steinberg the “greatest.” The three-time Super Bowl champ is a FOX football analyst and considered the best in the business. He entered Canton in 2006, a year after Young.

During the induction of the San Francisco 49ers great, Young pointed out Steinberg’s contributions.

“Leigh Steinberg, over the years, was a sports lawyer ahead of his time,” said Young, who threw a Super Bowl record six touchdowns to go with 325 yards in San Francisco’s 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. “What better representation can you have than people who represent you the person as well as the player?”

Steinberg recalls the ceremony vividly.

“His father [Grit Young] said it’s the first time anyone could remember that somebody talked about an [agent],” Steinberg said. “You would trade a lot of things for that.”

The following year, Steinberg received more admiration. This time the player practically no one in the NFL believed could turn out to be a quarterback was being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Moon landed somewhere no other African American quarterback had before — Canton. His presenter would be Steinberg, becoming the first agent to do so.

The man who negotiated Moon’s NFL breaking contract, five-year, $5.5 million in 1984 with the Houston Oilers, beamed on stage.

Moon, who saw the likes of Matt Cavanaugh, Mark Miller, Gifford Nielsen, Marks Manges and Rob Hertel get drafted in the first five rounds of the 1978 draft, reached a place only those quarterback busts could visit and see Moon’s bust on display, along with his array of accomplishments, nine Pro Bowls, AP Player of the Year in 1990, just to name a few.

The road wasn’t easy for Moon, from the racist comments he said he heard after a game in New England to seeing one of his kids cry in the locker room after a game because of all the harsh words he listened to while in the crowd watching his dad play.

“Playing really good football and acting like it didn’t bother me,” said Moon of how he overcame the obstacles. “[Steinberg and I] talked about race relations all the time. Him being Jewish, in a way, he was a minority and he was treated different ways by people. He helped me deal with some of that on how to deal with it. You smile at them and keep walking, and hopefully them knowing that it didn’t bother you, bothers them more.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.