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Team Members

Athletepreneur is a team of industry pioneers in sports and media with experience at Amazon, NFL, MLS, Deloitte, Vizio, and Legendary Entertainment.

Brian Dzingai

Brian Dzingai

Athlete Agent / Finance

2-time Olympian, born and raised in Zimbabwe, now residing in Chicago.

Mike Fingado

Mike Fingado

NFL Agent

NFLPA Certified Agent and former track and field athlete at Florida State University.

Ryan Nugent

Ryan Nugent

Attorney

Sports and entertainment law attorney. Based in Los Angeles.

01

WHERE IS MY AGENT LOCATED?

Is geographic location important to you? Do you want your agent to be where you spend the offseason? With today’s technology, physical location becomes less important to some players.
 
ATHLETEPRENEUR: We operate nationally (remotely) and have a physical team located in Los Angeles (CA), Whitefish (MT), and Chicago (IL).

02

WHO WILL I BE WORKING WITH?

Some agencies have agents who specialize in contract negotiations but are less involved with the clients’ daily lives. Personal interaction is left to your “lead” agent.  There is no right or wrong answer, just get clear guidelines regarding the responsibilities of the team you decide to hire. 

ATHLETEPRENEUR: As a Certified NFLPA Agent, Mike Fingado will serve as your lead agent and personally be in contact with regard to contract negotiations, endorsements, and any other official matters on the NFL side of the business. Brian Dzingai serves our Olympic athlete clients and coaches. Lastly, Ryan Nugent serves as our in-house attorney when it comes to any legal matters related to licensing your name, image, likeness or endorsements. 

03

HOW DO I PICK A SPORTS AGENT, AND WHAT SHOULD THEY BE GOOD AT? (as per the NFLPA)

Your agent should be skilled at negotiating the following:

  • A signing bonus

  • Paragraph 5 or base salary

  • Roster, report and workout bonuses

  • Incentives

Other factors to consider:

  • Interview several agents — there are more than 850 certified agents

  • Verify the clients represented by each agent

  • Contact the NFLPA and/or use the agent search feature to ensure the agent is active and in good standing

  • Familiarize yourself with the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors and understand required and prohibited conduct for agents

 
Already have an agent, but looking to request a new one, perhaps Athletepreneur? Please send any questions or issues related to your current agent or contract, to nflpa.agentservices@nflpa.com. If you decide you want to work with the team at Athletepreneur we can set up a initial consult call. Please email Mike Fingado, here

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