04/18/24
January 12, 2012
Agent Leigh Steinberg Pens Own 'Jerry Maguire' Letter: Leigh Steinberg, the sports agent who inspired the film Jerry Maguire, has filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy and sent an e-mail to friends and associates talking about his financial troubles, professional woes and struggles as an alcoholic that bears a resemblance to the mission statement that upended Maguire's career. "I have struggled with alcohol for a number of years," Steinberg wrote in the email. "In the past five or six years I began to check out episodically for short periods. My judgment and oversight of my affairs was not consistent and at times impaired. ... The underlying cause of my inability to earn money and resolve my debt situation occurred in 2003. One of my employees admitted that -- without my knowledge -- he had taken a $300,000 loan from one of our NFL clients."
Speaking as someone who has a family member who is a raging alcoholic, the phrase "struggled with alcohol" always makes me shake my head. Surely "Enjoyed wallowing in it immensely" would be more accurate. The only struggle with alcohol my mother ever had was when she couldn't find a fucking corkscrew.
posted by Drood at 12:30 AM on January 13, 2012
I think the word "enjoyed" is uninformed when it comes to talking about someone suffering from the disease of alcoholism.
posted by DudeDykstra at 02:20 AM on January 13, 2012
Point taken, Drood, but to me the word "struggled" seems perfectly paired with "alcoholism." Some people just can't stop themselves from drinking, no matter how much of their personal and professional life collapses around them. Steinberg was on top of the sports agent world for 20 years, but now he's struggling to pay a $1.2 million settlement to an athlete.
His alcohol problems were news for a while, apparently. While looking for his net worth, I found a 2003 story about Steinberg showing up drunk seven years earlier at the wedding of then-client Drew Bledsoe. "I had to answer questions from family and friends, 'Who is that guy?'" Bledsoe said.
posted by rcade at 10:19 AM on January 13, 2012
Jerry: "Let us start a revolution. Let us start a revolution that is not just about basketball shoes, or official licensed merchandise. I am prepared to die for something. I am prepared to live for our cause. The cause is caring about each other. The secret to this job is personal relationships."
Leigh: "I have tried during the past 40 years to make a positive impact on this nation and the athletic community and to make a contribution to young men's lives. ... My Dad instilled in me two core values: 1) Treasure relationships -- especially family. 2) Help make a difference in the world by aiding the less fortunate."