Eugene Parker, NFL Agent, Dies at Age 60

NFL agent Eugene Parker has reportedly died at the age of 60.

His client and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders took to Instagram early Friday morning: “My career-long attorney/agent and lifetime friend, hero, brother and confidant Eugene Parker has gone on to be with the Lord.”

Sanders also posted an image of the two together with his Hall of Fame bust:

Michael Silver of NFL.com called it “shocking and brutal news” and deemed Parker a “massive force in the NFL community.” 

San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde—who, like Sanders, was a Parker client—reacted on Twitter:

Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram put Parker’s influence into context:

Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk provided a list of current and former players Parker represented. In addition to Sanders and Emmitt Smith, Parker represented Hall of Famers Rod Woodson, Walter Jones and Curtis Martin.

A handful of notable current players such as Larry Fitzgerald, Allen Robinson, Alshon Jeffery and Sammy Watkins also called Parker their agent. Even incoming draft prospects Noah Spence, Jaylon Smith and Laquon Treadwell had already signed with him.

Parker’s agency, Relativity Sports, provided a brief biography on its website. Before he graduated from Valparaiso University with a J.D. in 1982, he was a basketball player for Purdue and was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs.

The biography called Parker “both a tough negotiator and a man of integrity” and pointed out that he looked to help his clients in life, beyond what they could do on the field.