Professor

excerpt:

Maroney, the Patriots' first-round pick, has left the Lock, Metz & Malinovic Sports firm he originally hired to represent him, according to NFL Players Association records. As of late yesterday, Maroney had yet to file paperwork with the NFLPA that indicated who would be representing him.

There are two lines of thinking regarding Maroney's switch.

One is that the change could slow the pace of negotiations. The Patriots begin training camp July 28, but some rookies are reportedly scheduled to arrive at Gillette Stadium early next week. That leaves a small window for the Patriots and Maroney's new representatives to hammer out a deal.

On the flip side, since rookie deals are essentially slotted, several agents have said they can be finished quickly when both sides are committed.

When a player switches agents, there is a five-day waiting period before he is able to hire a new agent, per NFLPA rules. That waiting period has passed for Maroney, according to an NFLPA spokeswoman.

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...hanges_course/

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Professor

excerpt:

Contrary to report, Maroney sticking with agent

Prominent NFL agent Vance Malinovic is, indeed, still working on first-round pick Laurence Maroney’s contract with the Patriots.
And he says any report to the contrary is “erroneous.”
According to a published report in Tuesday’s editions of the Boston Globe, Maroney recently fired Malinovic and was already in the midst of the league’s mandated five-day waiting period for hiring new representation.
That, it appears, was simply a mix-up. Over the last week, Maroney had to refile some of his paperwork with the union, which may have given the appearance that Malinovic had been terminated.


A spokesman with the NFL Players Association said last night the circumstance was “not uncommon” and may have been a simple matter of one agent within the firm being dropped from or added to Maroney’s paperwork.
Malinovic told the Daily News yesterday that his firm is still representing Maroney, and characterized the negotiations between Maroney and the team as “ongoing.”
According to the Web site profootballtalk.com, the firm -- Lock, Metz and Malinovic Sports -- was dropped by 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, earlier in the week.

http://patriots.bostonherald.com/pat...ticleid=148905

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