Lovie leaves the dealing to his son
By Neil Hayes nhayes@suntimes.com February 25, 2011 11:10PM
Updated: September 24, 2012 6:25AM
INDIANAPOLIS — Lovie Smith had a secret weapon during negotiations that resulted in a two-year extension that will keep him with the Bears through 2013: his son.
Instead of using agent Frank Bauer, whose client list includes many of the NFL’s top coaches, Smith kept the agent’s fee in the family. His son Matthew, a second-year law student at Loyola, negotiated the deal.
While the terms weren’t disclosed, the contract is believed to be for around $5.5 million per year.
‘‘I wanted a guy who could spend all his time with one client, so that’s what I did,’’ Smith said jokingly.
He emphasized that the decision was no reflection on Bauer and called his son ‘‘a top agent, like everybody else.’’
‘‘He’s going into sports law,’’ Smith said. ‘‘I couldn’t be more pleased with what my agent did.’’
