In 1994, a suburb called Northridge within the famed San Fernando Valley was struck with a catastrophic 6.7 earthquake. Out of the rubble, came a Little League team that defied the odds and lost in the World Finals of the Little League World Series. They were deemed the “Earthquake Kids.” Matt Cassel and several of his life-long friends were members of this amazing squad.
Blessed with cannons for arms, all three of the Cassel brother became high school phenoms. Older brother, Jack played at rival high school, Kennedy while younger brother, Justin, followed in Matt’s footsteps and attended baseball powerhouse, Chatsworth. Both Jack and Justin would go on to play professional baseball.
By virtue of its sheer size, population density, and year-round sunny weather, Southern California’s San Fernando Valley and its surrounding communities have continually proven to be the nation’s hotbed of athleticism, particularly high school quarterbacks. It all arguably started with NFL Hall of Famer, John Elway, who ironically attended this filmmaker’s high school alma mater, Granada Hills High School. Since then, countless signal callers have taken their amateur talents to colleges that offered them scholarships…or today, lucrative NIL deals on top of those scholarships.
As someone who personally played baseball against Chatsworth High School, I can attest to their reputation. They are a nationally recognized powerhouse. In terms of football, they weren’t as dominant, but players such as Cassel elevated their program and led them to several division titles while en route to becoming one of the state’s best quarterback recruits.
Most mark the rise of the ‘Quarterback Whisperer’ when former NFL washout, Steve Clarkson, left his job managing a steakhouse in the late 80s to coach a talented, high school quarterback by the name of Perry Klein. Perry went on to guide the Carson Colts to a 4-A Citty Championship, play collegiately at Cal, then professionally for the Atlanta Falcons while Steve and a handful of others grew this cottage coaching industry into a multi-million dollar juggernaut that has no end in sight.
The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) has lorded over collegiate athletics for over a century. Over that time, many valiant attempts and some less than savory were made to poke holes in their seemingly impenetrable damn, but none had any real lasting impact…until now.
Governor Gavin Newsome thought enough was enough and introduced the The Fair Pay to Play Act (originally known as California Senate Bill 206) in February 2019. It was a California statute that allowed collegiate athletes to acquire endorsements and sponsorships while maintaining athletic eligibility. The bill would go on to affect college athletes in California's public universities and colleges…and later the nation as a whole.
Per Google -
Name, image and likeness (or NIL) are the three elements that make up “right of publicity”, a legal concept used to prevent or allow the use of an individual to promote a product or service.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has historically resisted efforts to compensate college athletes. It’s a different story today though and it’s led to a tsunami of unprecedented change…
And lawsuits…
It’s not just college football players raking in the NIL bucks….
Meet the undisputed queen of NIL deals, Olivia Dunne. She’s pulling in well over seven figures. Does she play football? Nope, she’s a gymnast at Louisiana State University (LSU) and a globally recognized brand. Unfortunately it hasn’t all been rainbows and butterflies.
Others like the Cavinder twins have also capitalized and then there are those who have grown up in the spotlight like NBA legend, LeBron James’, eldest son, Bronny James, who has a deal with the likes of Beats By Dre.
Per The Athletic —
HOW DOES THE TRANSFER PORTAL WORK?
“The portal launched in the fall of 2018 as a communication tool to help give athletes more say in the process of switching schools. To enter the transfer portal, athletes notify the school of their intent to transfer. From there, the school’s compliance department has 48 hours to put an athlete’s name into the portal.
Athletes must enter the portal within one of the windows (for football, either a 30-day period beginning Monday or a 15-day period in the spring) in order to be immediately eligible to play at their new school through the NCAA’s one-time free transfer rule. Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time.
Once in the portal, a player can select a destination – or decide to stay at their current school – at any time as long as they meet enrollment criteria. This means that even though players must enter their name in the portal within the window, they do not have to make a decision on their new destination by the time the window closes.”
Taken from the Chattanooga Times Free Press -
“The NCAA transfer portal is a blessing to athletes who need a fresh start. It’s also a nightmare for high school athletes just trying to keep their playing days alive. Instead of posing for photos and eating cake with friends, family and teammates, two of Georgia’s most prolific quarterbacks spent last weeks’ National Signing Day reaching out to college programs in hopes of getting a late offer.”
Are we damaging the dreams of America’s youth by virtue of what appears to a transaction? Is this ‘win at all costs’ world of college sports ultimately damaging our youth? Do we need to stop pretending that our youth is actually interested in attending these institutions for an education? And in turn are these institutions really interested in providing these same youths with an education? Are we conflating education with athletic exploitation?
How do these college athletes get paid through NIL? Click on any of the following links below to better understand…
Then again, these “non-profits” have drawn the attention of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so how far they’ll be able to go remains to be seen.
College coaches are at a crossroads. It’s essentially free agency out in the wild, wild west of collegiate sports. Coaches like Deion Sanders and Lane Kiffin are capitalizing, while others like Dabo Swinney refuse to embrace NIL and the Transfer Portal, much to the dismay of his weakening football program. Adding the choas was the sudden retirement of Nick Saban, college football’s most successful coach. A great deal of speculation surrounded his retirement, although most agree that the evolving landscape made his decision that much easier.
SCOTUS has finally spoken…
“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing to not pay their workers a fair market rate on their theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. The NCAA is not above the law.
— Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Ask any player who played for football for USC, it’s a wild, pressure cooker. You may have been “the man” in back in high school, but now you’re competing against four others who are just as talented. Fact is, back in the 2000s, if you started as USC’s quarterback, you’re entry in the NFL was all but solidified. Adding to that pressure back in the day, was a city without a professional team and alumni who were frothing at the mouth for a National Championship. Anything less and it’s a failed season.
The quarterback battle was ultra-intense, with as many as five top guns fighting for the starting job. As the competition continued, Coach Carroll widdled his attention down to three: junior Matt Cassel, another local star, sophomore Matt Leinart, and freshman Louisiana phenom, John David Booty. So, as the competition for the starting job went on, another for the coveted backup role was also happening. The media and especially alums were waiting with bated breath. Coach Pete Carrol eventually picked Matt Leinart to start.
Cassel was devastated. While carrying the clipboard for a second stint, Cassel watched Leinart win not one, but two national championships and receive the coveted Heisman. Admittedly, Cassel was happy for his good friend but still believed he had something to offer and, more importantly, had something to prove to himself.
Bottom line, viewership drives the world of college sports. Football, though, makes considerably more money than the other sports programs combined and the power it commands steers its respective school as a powerful brand.
People were stumped in 2022. The defections of the Pac-12’s top college programs to the Big Ten was simply baffling. Then the dust settled and a bigger pot of gold was seen far at the end of a rainbow somewhere in the mid-west, the Big Ten, where even the middle of the pack programs saw revenues in the $50M range.
The Heisman is awarded to college’s most outstanding player. Between 1965 and 1981, four USC tailbacks had won it. Dubbed “Tailback University,” two decades passed before USC’s first quarterback, Carson Palmer, won the Heisman in 2002. Since then, to start at quarterback for USC all but guarantees entry into the NFL. Cut-throat doesn’t begin to describe the competition on and off the field at USC. When Cassel arrived at USC, their football program was as close to a professional team as Los Angeles had. The Raiders fled in 1995 and the Rams the year prior. The city and USC’s vocal, highly influential alums were ravenous for a winning football team.
Anyone who played football at USC will tell you it’s a gnarly pressure cooker…And still is. The field has dashed more dreams than Hollywood Blvd has stars. And players aren’t the only ones to feel the heat. Underwhelmed with his performance, USC fired head coach, Paul Hackett. The coaching carousel continued. USC searched for months. No takers. Too risky. Enter Pete Carrol, an ex-NFL coaching cautionary tale with something to prove, and he did, too, transforming Carson Palmer into a Heisman award winner. Then, it came time to replace Carson. And keep winning. And keep winning. And keep winning…
Before the NFL draft, most Division I universities conduct a ‘pro day’ wherein prospective draftees showcase their skills for various NFL scouts. Cassel, in particular, was not expected to participate. The truth is his position coach discouraged him from doing so. Undeterred, Cassel showed off the ‘Cassel Cannon’ for all the NFL scouts. Many were impressed.
San Francisco 49ers legend Bill Walsh's "West Coast Offense,” a term applied to the high-percentage, passing-first offense he birthed in Cincinnati and brought to the Niners, where the Pro Football Hall of Famer won three Super Bowls during the 1980s — remains a foundational piece of the NFL landscape.
Walsh's deep coaching tree roots reach far and wide, and include the likes of Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, legendary former Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. But the offense remains very much his, no matter how many iterations emerge.
Cassel’s performance at his pro day and his unwavering belief in himself paid off. The 2005 NFL draft was a rollercoaster with a great of its focus trained on two first round quarterbacks. Then Day 2 rolled around. By the 7th and last round, 13 other quarterbacks had been drafted. To give you a better idea as to how crazy things can get, even the 2003 Heisman Award winner, Oklahoma’s Jason White hadn’t been taken.
Then Coach Bill Belichick called. He picked Cassel with the #230. The media went wild and hung the moniker ‘Career Backup” on Cassel wherever his name was mentioned or equally as compelling of a headline, “The Next Brady.” Then again, most thought Cassel wouldn’t make it through the Patriots rigorous training camp anyway and that Coach Belichick would regret wasting a 7th round pick. Jason White went undrafted.
Prior to Cassel’s arrival, the New England Patriots were at the top of the NFL heap with three Super Bowl victories in the last four years. Head Coach, Bill Belichick had that secret coaching sauce that was the envy of the league. His 6th round pick of the 2000 draft, Michigan quarterback, Tom Brady, was the centerpiece of an organization that team owner, Robert Kraft couldn’t be any more thrilled with.
One thing was abundantly clear when Cassel arrived in New England: After winning their third Super Bowl in four years, Brady was entrenched as their starting quarterback, so the odds of unseating him were Powerball improbable. But just because you got drafted doesn’t mean you’ve made the team. It’s an opportunity to make a very exclusive living with an average lifespan of 3 years. To make an NFL team’s final 53-man roster is a different story. Before the start of each season, every team conducts a series of camps with 100+ players. Your big stars already have “jobs,” aka positions. The rest are fighting to keep or take someone else’s.
Cassel fought through and made the 53-man roster. He’d survived. But make no mistake, Cassel beat out a flurry of other high-caliber quarterbacks looking for the coveted role as Brady’s backup…for three consecutive years. Over that time, Cassel played sparingly in both pre-season games and at the tail-end of blowouts. As the Patriots went on with their winning ways, Cassel had been part of three consecutive AFC East Division Championships and was part of the unbeaten 2007 squad that famously lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXLI.
As a professional football player, you become acutely aware of your longevity. Injuries are part of the game and as a professional you’re expected to replace someone at the drop of a hat. When the Patriots’ star quarterback, Drew Bledsoe went down with a life-threatening injury, Tom Brady stepped in and took control en route to a Super Bowl. 2002 victory.
When prepartion meets opportunity...
2008 - in the first game of the regular season, safety Bernard Pollard collides with quarterback Brady’s lower leg, tearing the ligaments in Brady’s left knee. With Brady out for the remainder of the season, Cassel’s opportunity to finally take the reins had presented itself. Luck. It’s when preparation meets opportunity.
And Cassel was prepared as was a merciless media. Cassel drove the Patriots to eleven wins and five losses. It was a playoff-quality season. Naysayers were in shock. Cassel’s stock soared. Coach Belichick’s judgment of Cassel’s character had paid dividends. Despite this, Coach Belichick had to keep his dynasty’s best interest in mind. Some tough decisions were to be made…
In 2008, the Chiefs were the 2nd worst team in the NFL. At the season’s end, their Hall of Fame tight end demanded a trade, as did their star running back, who was on probation; a dozen players were released, and the coaching staff and general manager were fired. Cassel went from a hot team to a hot mess.
By 2009, Kansas City fans were rabid for a team that could just simply compete, let alone win. New Head Coach, Todd Haley, was tasked with turning the Titanic around, especially at the quarterback position. Cassel’s lofty payday made him an easy target for harsh criticism, from the most devout to the most anonymous, there appeared to be little support.
Unfortunately, an ugly pre-season set the tone. The Chiefs were winless at 0 - 4. At the root of this ailment was a quarterback’s protection, a porous offensive line. And it came at Cassel’s expense when he sprained his knee and didn’t start on opening-day. Then came the regular season. The Chiefs sputtered. Their first win didn’t come until week 6, by then fans were frothing at the mouth, demanding change.
The Chiefs finished the season at 4 - 12, doubling their win record from the previous season. The Chiefs did not have a single player named to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 1978 and only the 3rd time in franchise history. Matt knew he had his work cut out for him. In the off-season, he kept grinding; kept training, his wife drilling him on the playbook. Fact is, there is no off-season in the NFL and if Cassel’s skin hadn’t gotten as thick and tough as kevlar already, it would have to worlds tougher and stronger…
2010 - It was on and crackin’. Armed with a couple new weapons acquired through the draft and trades and two new seasoned coordinators leading the offense and defense, the Chiefs came out swinging. And Cassel’s skills were the driving force. Heading into Week 15 of 17 and with the AFC West division title in their sights, the unexpected happened. Cassel was hospitalized with an emergency appendectomy. Most saw another season instantly fizzle. With his wife pleading for him not to play, Cassel returned eleven days later and led his team to a crucial 27 - 13 victory, preserving their first-place standing in the AFC West.
The Chiefs won their first division title since 2003 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Despite their loss, the season was considered an enormous success. Later that year, Cassel was chosen by his peers to participate in the annual Pro Bowl along with Hall Of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Philip Rivers. Then came the cherry on top. Cassel was one of the top ten finalists to make the cover of professional football’s most popular video game, Electronic Arts, Madden 2010.
It’s a cruel sport of “What have you done for me lately”
Both 2011 and 2012 were brutal for the Chiefs. Expectations were high going into 2011, but the season imploded between coaching turnovers and Cassel breaking his throwing hand. Plus, their back-up was ineffective. In the fifth game of 2012, it wasn’t the banner that forced Cassel to the sidelines in the Chiefs’ 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens; their All-Pro defensive tackle knocked Cassel out of the game.
While laying on the field concussed, some fans, not all, began to cheer. Cassel’s tackle, Eric Winston, was enraged and after the game gave his team’s disgruntled fanbase a thought-provoking reality check that to this day he does not regret delivering. The Chiefs finished the season at 2 - 14 and they decided to clean house once again. If you ask Cassell, his time with the Chiefs was a extraordinary opportunity, that he left everything he had out on the field, that he loved the city and loved its fans.
Following his time with the Chiefs, Cassel played for six more years. Some would call that a “journeyman,” whereas those in the know call that “valuable.” With a younger brother who played in the NLF for six years, I’ve spent a fair amount of time around other NFL players. What I’ve always found fascinating were discussions on “frauds,” overhyped, sub-par players who’d spent their entire NFL careers bouncing around the league riding their college accolades until they’re finally jobless. Without any of those accolades, Cassel played for 14 years. He went to the Pro Bowl. He was nominated to be on the cover of the sport’s most popular video game. Yeah, not bad for a career backup who never gave up and still, to this day, believes that the never-ending competition made him a better human.
…we need to ask ourselves. What’s next for our youth? When is enough, enough? When there’s nothing left to commoditize? Once all innocence is lost?
Or is all this a rare instance to make to capitalize on an opportunity? To feed one’s family. For example, take Hansel Enmanuel, a talented Dominican basketball player with one arm.
Either way, our future needs perspective.
Now.
Football is still Cassel’s calling and will be for the foreseeable future. He and his peers regularly get together and sometimes work with one another. In short, he’s been blessed with some great opportunities, capitalized on them, and continually pays it forward with heaps of positivity.
