Confidentiality Most Important To The Safety Of Pro Athletes
With all of the security issues surrounding today’s pro athletes it is always disturbing to see the personal life of a pro athlete made public by members of the media.
The media has become so consumed with personal lives of pro athletes and other celebrities, that no personal item or incident is out of bounds. Satisfying their readers or viewers is priority to them.
However, some of types of personal information that become public could prove life threatening.
The personal security of pro athletes is at more risk today than it’s been in the past. The security departments with the professional leagues and teams are serious about protecting players.
That is not enough.
Pro athletes need to protect themselves not only from outsiders but also from family, friends and business associates.
No matter where professional athletes go - at home, out with friends, in their cars - they must know they are targets, and they perhaps have never been more uneasy about their personal safety than they are right now.
In July 2007, three armed robbers approached Antoine Walker, then with the Miami Heat, outside the garage of his Chicago mansion, duct-taped his hands and feet together, then stole thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry, as well as Walker’s Mercedes. A friend who stumbled into the robbery also was bound with tape and held captive.
Later that month, police said they believed the same group taped and tied up New York Knicks center Eddy Curry, his wife and a Curry employee in Curry’s suburban Chicago home. That group fled with $10,000 in cash and several pieces of jewelry.
And last September, a pair of men tied up and robbed Houston Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson at gunpoint inside his home in a gated community in suburban Houston. They, too, escaped with thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry.
The slaying of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor at his house in Palmetto Bay, FL, is the latest in a string of armed home invasions that has shaken the sports world.
With all of these incidents either inside or directly outside a pro athlete’s home it is important that the athlete’s home location and address remain confidential.
The Arizona Republic printed an article in May about Shaquille O’Neal’s new residence in the Phoenix area. The article not only described the neighborhood and cross streets of the 9,400 square foot home but also included a photo of the home’s driveway and entry. Those details would make the location easy to locate for a criminal looking to illegally enter O’Neal’s home or worse.
The realtor who was involved in the transaction on behalf of O’Neal is quoted in the Arizona Republic article and released the location and some of the contract terms. The realtor stated the home was secured with a one-year lease with a purchase option along with confirming the location of the home.
This is absolutely unacceptable behavior by a real estate agent whether dealing with a doctor, lawyer or a pro athlete. The realtor should not be commenting on any details of private transactions. The address and terms of O’Neal’s transaction should be kept confidential. Can you say ”NO COMMENT”?
A real estate agent is supposed to have a fiduciary relationship with their client. The issue here is not the story written by the Arizona Republic but the disclosure of information by the realtor.
This realtor’s comments were not only self-serving and self-promoting but they could also lead to security issues for O’Neal.
The head of security for the NBA Player’s Association recently sent a memo to all NBA players, urging them to review their security procedures and scrutinize everything from the height of the bushes in front of their homes to the people with whom they surround themselves to the type of home security system they have.
Members of the NFL’s security staff brief players on a team-by-team basis each summer in training camps. They tell the players that they are celebrities and can be targeted and victimized. They tell the players to be careful about whom they associate with, where they go and whom they trust. The security staffers suggest players lower their profile as private citizens.
MLB addresses security issues in its rookie career development program and in annual briefings to players during spring training; security agents with police backgrounds are assigned to every team.
The leagues and players unions are doing their part to make today’s pro athletes aware of the potential security problems that may arise.
As a pro athlete, you should never get involved with or continue to be involved with any individual whether in a business or personal capacity that violates your trust for their own person gain or benefit.
It should be obvious to everyone you surround yourself with that your safety and privacy are most important as someone in the spotlight.
- Pro Athletes Only Exclusive
Comment by Kimberly Alexander on 29 May 2008:
As the wife of a pro athlete and realtor this article couldn’t be more on point.
It’s disappointing that Shaq’s agent would be so careless with his personal information.
Putting that in the newspaper should be grounds for having their commission affected. I’m sure that would get agents attention.
Unfortunately, even if you have a realtor sign a confidentiality agreement, the other people in the office who deal with the paperwork, the subcontractors that work on the home, etc. could still talk about who has purchased the home, leaving the player and his family vulnerable.
With Google Maps providing satellite images of properties, driving directions, and then player’s schedules (home/away games, appearances) also being public knowledge, everything someone needs to cause you harm is right on the internet. It’s scary. When people who aren’t used to dealing with athletes/celebrities encounter them, being star struck gets the best of them.
The downside to that is now, more than ever, players and their families have to watch their backs.
Comment by Michael Brown on 30 May 2008:
The information in this article and Mrs. Alexander’s comments are tragically scary and all too true.
In the past few years I have been researching and looking in to professional athletes being targeted by criminals. Anytime a pro athlete signs a new contract the amount is disclosed for all to see and read.
As with the example in the article, when an athlete buys a new home after being traded, it is broadcast to the public. With today’s technology and open source capabilities in locating anyone, Mrs. Alexander is completely right in stating that signing non-disclosure and/or confidentiality agreements will not do the job 100%.
I have been in contact with the NFL (submitted a proposal in January 2008 detailing how I could consult through the NFL to its players on ALL security matters), NBA, and the PGA on this very subject…Protecting Pro Athletes and their Families. I have received little if any response from these organizations. That tells me that the individual professional athlete must take the initiative of protecting themselves, their family, and assets into their own hands. I’m not saying to go out and buy guns and Dobermans, I am however, saying that it is now very necessary for those athletes who are concerned to look into hiring a professional protection agent/consultant that can help to mitigate the chances of criminals targeting them.