By JUSTIN KENDALL
Adrian Peterson
In a Johnson County courtroom on Monday, a powerful sports agent made a plea deal that saved him from going to jail.
Bill Henkel is the sports agent for Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back. He's also the managing partner of 10 Sports Management, a sports marketing firm with offices in Overland Park, Kansas, and Houston, Texas. He represents Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, and images of Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington and New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker also appear on 10 Sports' Web site.
Bill Henkel 
Henkel, who was a marketing executive in IMG Worldwide's football division until November 2005, was accused of felony commercial bribery and theft for soliciting a kickback in a marketing deal involving San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson three years ago. Neither Tomlinson nor IMG Worldwide, the agency that represents him, knew about Henkel's side deal. Such a deal was prohibited in Henkel's employee contract with IMG.
LaDainian Tomlinson
Henkel started 10 Sports Management when he left IMG in 2005. His bio with 10 Sports boasts that he is "widely considered as one of the top sports marketers in the industry" and "has quickly established 10 Sports Marketing as a major player in the Athlete Marketing Industry." Henkel spent eight years as director of athlete marketing in IMG's football division, generating $44 million in endorsement contracts for more than 100 football players, including Drew Brees, Chad Pennington, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, the bio adds.
In fact, IMG alleged in 2006 that Henkel tried to steal its clients, including Tomlinson, for his new sports marketing firm. IMG filed a restraining order against Henkel, and Tomlinson supported IMG's claims in a signed affidavit filed in a court in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
In court on November 10, Henkel struck a deal that allows him to avoid jail time. Henkel pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of criminal deprivation of property for taking money from IMG Worldwide and super agent Tom Condon in 2005.
Commissions and deals were supposed to run through IMG, but Henkel's side commission deal would have netted him $75,000 from M&B Sports Marketing, a memorabilia company. M&B was to pay Henkel four installment payments of $18,750. Henkel never disclosed the deal to IMG, which would have been entitled to a cut of the deal. M&B made one $18,750 payment to Henkel before he left IMG in November 2005. IMG discovered the improper payment, and Henkel returned the $18,750 to IMG. Henkel never received another payment from M&B, which also had no knowledge that the deal wasn't above board.
Johnson County District Court Judge Peter Ruddick accepted the plea deal and gave Henkel a year of probation (Henkel received a six-month suspended sentence on the first count and a five-month suspended sentence on the second to run concurrently).
Cheryl Pilate, Henkel's attorney, didn't return phone calls from The Pitch after the hearing.
But in the courtroom, The Pitch heard Henkel tell Pilate: "Adrian Peterson is leading the NFL in rushing, so it [Sunday] was a good day."
Boy, makes you wonder if Phill Kline would have let this weasel plea bargain out of this? Also, seems that Judge Ruddick was not on the ballot this time around…not that it matters since Kansans seem to vote for judges as: 25% “let governor select them”, 25% “present”, and 50% “just keep them because we don’t want to have to learn another name of someone in power”.
Good reporting, Mr. K.
Posted at: November 12, 2008 8:35 AM