Jeremy Bloom, Philadelphia Eagle

[ice grillin you]

Eagles draft pick Bloom tries to avoid causing a commotion

By Marc Narducci
Inquirer Staff Writer

Gary Wichard is the agent for the Eagles' first-round draft choice, Brodrick Bunkley, but most of the calls he has been fielding from reporters concern a player he represents who was drafted much lower.

"Doesn't anybody from Philadelphia - or anywhere else - want to talk about the first-round pick?" Wichard asked in mock anger.

Apparently the answer is no.

Not when the fifth-round pick is fresh off the Olympic slopes, has movie-star looks, has been a marketer's dream, and has the ability to go coast-to-coast on a punt return.

That's why there has been so much commotion in Wichard's Pacific Palisades, Calif., office over Jeremy Bloom.

Never mind that Bloom hasn't played competitive football since the 2003 season at the University of Colorado. Or that he was not even the first receiver drafted by the Eagles this year. (Michigan's Jason Avant was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round.)

Bloom, the 24-year-old two-time Olympic skier who finished sixth in the men's moguls at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, is a hot commodity.

"It's like representing a rock star," Wichard said.

The only problem is that Bloom would rather have the profile of a roadie. He is hoping to come to town on Friday, when the Eagles' rookies report for minicamp, with little fanfare and expecting to be treated like any other fifth-round draft choice.

"He doesn't want to be more than any other rookie," Wichard said.

Fat chance, at least from the media's perspective.

Still, Bloom will try to blend in with all his non-Olympian teammates.

"Jeremy's focus is on being a good teammate in Philadelphia," said Andy Carroll, the chief executive officer of Icon Sports Group, the Utah-based company that handles Bloom's marketing, endorsements and promotions. "He doesn't want to be a distraction."

Because of that, Bloom has been declining most interviews since he was drafted. On April 30, the day he was taken by the Birds with the 147th choice, Bloom left no doubt he was happy to be drafted by the Eagles.

"I am just pinching myself that I am coming to Philadelphia," he said.

Even before the draft, Bloom had said he would love to play for the Eagles. His father, Larry, is a 1965 graduate of Lower Merion High, and his aunt Michaelan Cohen lives in Radnor.

Larry Bloom, a professor of psychology at Colorado State University, grew up an impassioned Philadelphia sports fan. In 1960, he was at the Eagles' 17-13 NFL championship win over the Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field. So he knows about the pulse of the Philadelphia sports fan.

"Jeremy is coming from Colorado, where he has had cult-hero status," Larry Bloom said. "I said, 'You are going where the fans are the most passionate' " in the country.

While the motivation for many athletes is money, Jeremy Bloom will likely take a financial hit by joining the NFL.

"He has made a lot of money skiing and could have continued to, but he is playing football for the love of the game," his father said.

While Carroll didn't want to divulge Bloom's earnings through endorsements, he said "seven figures is a fair number."

Bloom's first season of his football contract will fall short of that. Last year, the 147th pick in the draft was cornerback Alphonso Hodge, who was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs. Hodge signed for the rookie minimum of $230,000, plus a signing bonus of $128,750.

According to Carroll, Bloom has endorsements with five companies: Under Armour apparel; Rip It, an energy drink; 24 Hour Fitness; GNC, which sells nutritional supplements; and Bolle, an eyewear company.

Most of those contracts will expire at the end of the year, according to Carroll. It's possible that Bloom could renew with some or all of the companies, and Carroll said Bloom has a number of other options.

"My phone has been ringing a lot, but we want to get him in Philly, settled down and make sure his teammates are comfortable with him," Carroll said. "He's flattered with all the attention, but we want to minimize the sideshow effect."

While Bloom was a marketer's dream as a skier, he is going down a different slope in football. Mike Ornstein, owner of Sports Link, a sports marketing company based in Santa Monica, Calif., said Bloom has to perform on the football field if he is to be a success in marketing.

"I don't think sponsors will do a lot before he makes the team and shows he can produce, only because he hasn't played football in a while," said Ornstein, whose company counts Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush as a client. "The fact that he is a good-looking guy and has a good story, if he can perform, he has an opportunity to make [marketing] money."

Regarding his performance, NFL experts don't really know what to expect.

"He might be a little rusty, but he produced at a high level at Colorado, and there is no reason why he can't be successful returning punts and kicks," said an NFL scout who asked to remain anonymous. "Of course, you have to see how he performs, and for that reason, he is a little bit of a wild card right now."

As for skiing, Bloom said before the draft that he would quit the sport, even recreationally, if an NFL team requested that. Wichard said that "it won't be an issue."

[Beermonkey]

snow is soft

My clavicle says otherwise.

[Geowhizzer]

snow is soft

What is this "snow" you're talking about?

[MadMarchHare]

It's the stuff we imbed 9 volts in, silly.

[General_Failure]

Smoke alarms?

[SidFarkus]

It's the stuff we imbed 9 volts in, silly.

I prefer Ds

[phattymatty]

yep, still dreamy.

just checking.

[Don Ho]

Is anyone watching Bloom on Eagles live?  Very well spoken young man.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I was going to watch Eagles Live but decided to get a grain alcohol enema instead.  More informative & enjoyable.

[Don Ho]

I was going to watch Eagles Live but decided to get a grain alcohol enema instead.  More informative & enjoyable.

Cmon, there's nothing better than hearing spads filling dead air time in between rookie press conferences

[NGM]

I was going to watch Eagles Live but decided to get a grain alcohol enema instead.  More informative & enjoyable.

Whoa dude.  Thats a way to make an entrance after a week long vacation.  Well met sir.

[The BIGSTUD]

[SunMo]

Eagles rookie Jeremy Bloom gives McNabb jersey to Laura Bush
By Joseph White
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - President Bush welcomed "dudes and dudesses" from the U.S. Winter Olympic team today in a White House ceremony that included a most unusual prop - a signed football jersey from Donovan McNabb.

About 190 Olympians and Paralympians from the Turin Games gathered on the sunny South Lawn for the traditional post-Olympic visit, where the president offered praise for athletes representing sports both traditional and hip.

"We want to thank all the dudes of dudesses of the snowboarders who are here," Bush said.

After speeches by Bush and speedskater Chris Witty, the president was presented with an Olympic torch and was quickly surrounded by athletes who treated him like a celebrity gold medalist. Bush signed a bobblehead doll, posters, jackets and posed for photos - but somehow seemed not to notice when skier-turned-football-player Jeremy Bloom offered the Philadelphia Eagles jersey signed by McNabb.

So Bloom, who was drafted in the fifth round last month by the Eagles, did the next best thing: He gave the jersey to first lady Laura Bush.

"I was here a week before the draft at the Republican gala, and the president and I were talking about where I was going to go in the draft," Bloom said. "He's a big football fan, so I told him I'd bring him a signed jersey."

Bloom, trying to catch on the with the Eagles as a receiver, got the jersey during last week's minicamp. McNabb had no idea what the jersey was for, but Bloom hopes the quarterback likes the gesture.

"I'm trying to get some extra points," Bloom said with a laugh. "I'm trying to be a politician."

The ceremony wrapped up a three-day visit to the nation's capital for the athletes, who thought they had seen and heard everything possible about their Olympic adventure until Bush came up with "dudesses."

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

That story made me nauseous, mostly from the "dudes and dudesses" comment.

[SidFarkus]

That story made me nauseous, mostly from the "dudes and dudesses" comment.

I pretty much stopped right there too...