Agent to Quebec football stars has second client heading to Super Bowl
There might be better-known sports player agents in Canada than Sasha Ghavami, but few who can boast their clients have gone to two consecutive Super Bowls.
“Two in a row,” Ghavami said on Monday. “I never would have believed that in my wildest dreams — that I’d get one, let alone two.”
The 29-year-old Mascouche resident, best-known for representing Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-tardif, also represents Tampa Bay tightend Antony Auclair, whose Buccaneers reached the Feb. 7 NFL championship with a 31-26 victory Sunday at Green Bay.
While Ghavami won’t be travelling to Tampa for the game against the Chiefs, he’ll do his best to live vicariously through Notredame-des-pins native Auclair, the 6-foot-6, 256-pounder he has represented since his senior season at Université Laval.
“It’s kind of hard to believe,” Ghavami said. “You start working in this field and all you want is a shot. Then you hope the player will want to work with you. You hope the player will make it and stick with the team; there’s so many steps. Winning a Super Bowl is like a dream. It’s a privilege to be able to live that with clients.”
Auclair, 27, is in his fourth season with the Bucs after signing as an undrafted free agent. He has played 40 games with the team, including 20 starts. While he only has 10 career receptions for 84 yards, he’s known more for his blocking ability.
Ghavami figured Auclair’s body type and his exceptional blocking skills might translate well into the NFL. After meeting Auclair, Ghavami was impressed with his focus and determination. Ghavami arranged for a pro day in 2017 in Ste-foy — one that was attended by 17 NFL teams.
Although it was considered a deep tight-end draft class, Ghavami said he thought the Bucs, who scouted and displayed interest in Auclair throughout his senior season, represented the best fit.
While Duvernay-tardif — a doctor who sat this season out to work on the front lines during the pandemic — was Ghavami’s ticket into the NFL, he has two other clients, Ryan Hunter, a guard with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins linebacker Sam Eguavoen. Ghavami also represents about 30 CFL players.
Ghavami graduated with a degree in law from Université de Montréal and operates a small practice from his home office. But Ghavami said he knew since childhood that he wanted to become a player agent. He never believed it would materialize, but understood a law degree would be beneficial.
He and Duvernay-tardif have been friends since they were in CEGEP. The future Chief, knowing of Ghavami’s dream, asked that he represent him.
“I’d like to believe I have a reputation as somebody who cares about his clients, sets out to do what’s best for them and guides them through the journey,” Ghavami said. “It’s not about being known or not known ... successful or not.”
Although there’s a wide discrepancy in salaries between the NFL and CFL, the negotiation process remains largely similar and an agent must be thorough while analyzing the market, Ghavami said.
While he has established a network with many NFL teams, getting them to take notice of his Canadian clients remains a challenging process.
“You’re not in the (NCAA’S Southeastern Conference), getting scouted every week,” Ghavami said. “It’s very hard and, every year, you have to restart the process. It’s not because one or two (Canadians) make it that all of a sudden teams consider Canada to be the new Alabama.”
If anything makes that conversation easier, Ghavami said, it’s that more Canadian prospects are at least getting signed as undrafted free agents by NFL teams and attending training camps each year.
Two examples, who are Ghavami’s clients, are Alouettes rookie safety Marc-antoine Dequoy (Green Bay) and Edmonton’s Mathieu Betts (Chicago).
“It shows there’s talent up here,” Ghavami said.
“There’s a way to make it.”