A world commonly associated with college football superstars, high-profile general managers and Mel Kiper Jr. has made way for a Jumbo.
A 2002 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, Jason Bernstein will play a prominent role in this weekend's NFL Draft, where he will represent four players projected to be among the 255 selected.
An employee of X-A-M Sports and Entertainment, a family-owned sports management firm that represents nearly a dozen NFL players, Bernstein has been integral in preparing his clients for the draft, having spent nearly all of January and February in Orlando, Fla. with X-A-M's 2007 draft class as it trained for the NFL Combine and Pro Day workouts.
Bernstein's responsibilities included setting up the draft hopefuls in four-bedroom apartments, arranging for a chef to cook them three healthy meals per day, and coordinating chiropractor and massage therapy appointments. If a player needed new gear, Bernstein went to the nearest Nike outlet. If a family member wanted to visit, Bernstein arranged the flights.
"These days, some teams put just as much emphasis on the workouts after the season as they do on the season itself," Bernstein said. "In my opinion, it's the two most important months of [the players'] careers because depending on where they get drafted, that's where they're starting their careers. Their salary all depends on where they get drafted. So if they had to worry about everything besides training, it would get pretty stressful."
Bernstein performs other various behind-the-scenes duties for X-A-M. When the company's clients become free agents, for instance, the Maryland native often does the background research for contract negotiations. One of his biggest projects came shortly before the start of last season, when X-A-M got its highest-profile client - Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor - a $22.5-million extension that made him the highest-paid cornerback in team history.
"There's a lot that's involved when you're trying to research a certain contract situation," president of X-A-M Scott Smith said. "You have to research hundreds of other contracts. You have to be able to analyze statistics and analyze your player's accomplishments ... That's something he's helped me with since he started. He's been invaluable at that level."
Bernstein must also build X-A-M's clientele by recruiting athletes whom the company can represent. Out of the four Div. I stars forming the company's 2007 draft class, Penn State linebacker Tim Shaw has the highest ceiling and is projected to be selected in the middle rounds.
"Our company has been growing every year," Bernstein said. "Last year, we had two players who were invited to the combine - one was drafted, one was picked up as a free agent right after the draft. This year, all four of the players in our draft class are expected to be drafted. I think as far as draft classes are concerned, this is the most successful year."
The 26-year-old Bernstein has held his own in a cutthroat industry where he even competes with the likes of super-agent Drew Rosenhaus. His success marks the culmination of years of chasing a lifelong goal, beginning when he interned for Octagon, the second-largest sports marketing firm in the country, at the age of 18.
Bernstein's persistence proved valuable in landing his current job. Working for another sports agency in Washington, D.C. before he founded X-A-M, Smith fielded countless phone calls from Bernstein, who was interested about interning at the firm. After a year of repeated calls and e-mails, Smith realized Bernstein was uniquely committed to succeeding in sports management.
"At a certain point, I just realized that this guy has got an incredible amount of dedication, and he was extremely persistent," Smith said. "After a year of calling me, I brought him on as an intern in 2004. He basically interned with me for a couple years. Over those two years, I realized that he had those unique qualities that are very important for this business. He's extremely hard working, and he's 110 percent committed, and you can't be anything less than fully committed in this business."
During his years at Tufts, Bernstein majored in computer science, having something to fall back on in case his dream of becoming a sports agent fell short. Although he is far removed from the days of writing programs, Bernstein still carries much of his undergraduate experience into his high-intensity job.
"What we do, I think a lot of it is work ethic and personality and learning about commitment," Smith said. "And those are qualities he obviously developed and refined at Tufts. It's more of an overall level of commitment and dedication that he developed when he was there."
