Melo In Trouble !

Melo imperiling endorsement deals

Sports insiders say he must improve his off-court image

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News
December 4, 2004

A poor showing at the Summer Olympics. A legal flap involving marijuana. A nightclub scuffle in New York. A controversial videotape shown on the nightly news.

It has been a tough couple of months for Carmelo Anthony, the young Denver Nuggets basketball star who recently has found himself in the spotlight more for his off-the-court actions than for his success on the hardwood.

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Although he remains popular with fans, the 20-year-old's reputation in corporate America has taken a hit, his image in danger of being tarnished well into the future, sports insiders say. One or two more incidents, however small, could make Anthony a pariah in the corporate world, making it difficult for him to land endorsement and marketing deals.

Anthony now must walk on eggshells as he tries to cope with the challenges of transitioning into the role of role model.

"Marketers are already casting a suspicious eye on him," said Jonathan Wexler of Playing Field Promotions, a company in Denver that handles athlete endorsements and appearances. "I've actually spoken to NBA licensees - before this latest thing happened - who were concerned. If he's not careful, this could be a problem for a long time."

Anthony's current sponsorships and endorsement deals, which total millions of dollars with Nike, EA Sports and the Got Milk? campaign, among others, also could be in trouble. In light of recent problems with other sports stars, companies now structure their contracts in ways that allow them to make an easy exit if an athlete runs into problems.

"Yeah, his image has taken a hit," said Calvin Andrews, Anthony's agent. "There's obviously companies expressing concern, but we haven't seen any big impacts yet."

Anthony's downward slide began when he played on the U.S. basketball team at the Summer Olympics in Athens, where he was criticized by the coach and barely played. Then, in October, Anthony was caught with a small amount of marijuana in his backpack at Denver International Airport. Several weeks later, three men tried to extort $3 million from Anthony for his role in a New York bar fight, which was videotaped.

Prosecutors dropped the drug charge after a friend of Anthony's said the marijuana was his, but the turmoil continues. The most recent controversy surfaced Thursday night, when Denver news stations aired footage from a homemade DVD that shows the basketball star hanging out in Baltimore with an alleged drug dealer.

In one section of the video, another man near Anthony refers to killing people who rat out drug dealers. Bootleg copies are selling in Baltimore.

"What Carmelo has done is put a huge red question mark behind his name where corporate America is concerned," said Dean Bonham, a local sports consultant who also writes a column for the Rocky Mountain News. "Corporate America has dozens of choices of athletes that it can associate its name and image and brand with, and they pick one or two that offer the safest choice."

For Anthony, the loss of current or future sponsorship deals would mean more than just lost income and a tainted image. The distractions also could affect Anthony's play on the court, if they haven't already.

Now, Anthony has to fight an uphill battle to repair his image, which could take time.

"How you respond to all of this is a tough question," Andrews said. "There's no overnight solution to repair and regain the trust of the people."

The incidents are relatively minor - and more easily overcome - when compared with the problems of some other high-profile athletes. Basketball star Kobe Bryant, for instance, is battling rape accusations, while football player Ray Lewis pleaded to lesser charges in an episode in which two men were killed.

Both players lost millions of dollars in sponsorship and endorsement deals. Companies, after all, typically look for trouble-free pitchmen.

"Generally sponsors look for athletes with squeaky clean images that they can put on milk commercials," said John Mansell, an analyst who follows sports business for research firm Kagan World Media. "The whole idea of having spokesman celebrity is to have someone who is a hero of sorts associated with their product."

Part of the solution, some observers say, is for Anthony to make some tough choices and alter his lifestyle.

"What he's got to do is choose his friends and the people he hangs around with much more carefully," said Marc Ganis, a sports consultant in Chicago.

Several observers said they think Anthony will move past the turmoil, and many fans still support him.

Anthony also is actively involved in the community. In fact, he recently gave the charity group Family Resource Centers a check for $30,000.

"In my mind, he's a good kid and we're very fortunate to have him," said Bill Michaels, state executive director of the organization. "Despite all that's going on, he still has a smile on his face and he's always been very positive."

'Stop Snitching'

• People in Baltimore and elsewhere are upset by a homemade DVD showing basketball star Carmelo Anthony laughing alongside a man who warns that people who tip police about drug deals will "get a hole in their head."

Disturbing images

• In one segment, shown here, Anthony stands on a street, wearing a red shirt and baseball cap and laughing while another man talks about life on the street, snitches and the National Basketball Association.

Glamorizing 'thug life'

• The man Anthony is seen with on the DVD is an alleged drug dealer. "I don't hang with drug dealers, man," Anthony said Friday. News reports say the DVD also includes marijuana smoking, the flashing of diamond watches and the driving of convertibles.

Anthony speaks out

• "I'm not a thug. I'm not a gangster. I'm a basketball player, but at the same time, I'm a gentleman. I do do good stuff. It just so happens this (DVD) came out. I thought I was taking steps forwards, but this put me two steps backwards."

Ok I gotta feeling Melo is gonna really go "stray star" like Sheed did if he continues "promoting" an image like this. I really liked the kid but now all this stuff coming out is just not good....hes got alotta talent but if he goes on like this hes just gonna become fat and start banging hookers and end up in Portland or something.

cMon Melo, u should know better .....

WTf is `Melo doing that 2nd picture?

I heard that he was showing how big his olympic medal was instead of showing off gang-signs.

good i hope he stays in trouble so i dont have to see him play everytime they show a nuggets game, which is quite often. come on, they suck, stop showing nuggets games!!!

lol, melo.. another videogame coverboy curse