Peter Schaffer (born 1962) is an American sports agent/lawyer who represents players in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

, the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, and the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. He is founder and owner of Authentic Athletix, a

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

-based sports agency, and is known for representing highly drafted players and marquee names. He also owns an athletic combine training facility in Denver. Schaffer represents active and retired athletes and celebrities, including Pro Football Hall of Famers

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...

Steve Atwater Stephen Dennis Atwater (born October 28, 1966) is an American former professional football player who spent most of his career playing free safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a ...

, Joe Thomas,

Joe Mixon Joseph Tyler Mixon (born July 24, 1996) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was a first-team All-Big 12, and was selected by the ...

, Adam Jones,

Randy Gregory Randy Gregory (born November 23, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of ...

, Phil Taylor,

Trevor Pryce Trevor Wesley Pryce II (born August 3, 1975) is a former American football defensive end and author who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Pryce played college football for the University of Michigan before transferri ...

Vontaze Burfict Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. ( ; born September 24, 1990) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. A first-team All-American at Arizona St ...

Alfred Williams Alfred Hamilton Williams (born November 6, 1968) is a former American football player. He was a linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. His nicknames ...

Rayshawn Jenkins Rayshawn Jenkins (born January 25, 1994) is an American football safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami (FL). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth round ...

Joshua Cribbs Joshua Cribbs (born June 9, 1983) is an American former football return specialist and wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Kent State University, and was signed by the Cleveland Browns a ...

C. J. Anderson Cortrelle Javon Anderson (born February 10, 1991) is an American football coach and former running back who is currently the running backs coach at Rice University. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with ...

, Mario Edwards Jr., and

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Nicks has also played for t ...

. and PGA golfers including two-time PGA tour winner

Jonathan Kaye Jonathan Andrew Kaye (born August 2, 1970) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. Biography Kaye was born in Denver, Colorado, and is Jewish. He attended Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was a star in ...

and

Shane Bertsch Shane Thomas Bertsch (born March 30, 1970) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour. Bertsch was born in Denver, Colorado. He turned professional in 1994. Bertsch has won twice on the Nationwide Tour, once in 2000 and ...

Biography

Early years

Schaffer was born in upstate New York. He attended

Cortland High School Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 17,556. The city of Cortland, near the county's western bo ...

and then

The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...

, in

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888 ...

on athletic and academic scholarship, graduating in 1980 with honors. Schaffer then attended

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...

, graduating in 1984 with honors while playing both varsity

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

and

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. Schaffer would later be awarded with The Alumni Citation from Franklin and Marshall College in 2019. In 1987, he graduated from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

. In 1988 he played professional lacrosse in the

American Lacrosse League (1988) The American Lacrosse League was a professional lacrosse league that played in 1988. It was founded by Terry Wallace and Bruce Meierdiercks, former teammates at Adelphi University. The league folded after five weeks of play. Teams * Baltimor ...

(ALL) for the

Denver Rifles Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...

. His first job out of law school was with the Denver-based law firm of Weller, Freidrich, Ward and Andrews, a litigation firm. After law school in 1988, Schaffer became certified as a Contract Advisor ("Agent") by the National Football League Players Association ("NFLPA"), the NHLPA, and PGA Tour. During this time he negotiated some of the most lucrative deals in NFL history.

Representation

Schaffer represents Chad Brown,

and Joe Thomas. He also represents

Willie Roaf William Layton Roaf (born April 18, 1970), nicknamed "Nasty," is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech Bul ...

, Pro Football Hall of Fame (

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

( wide receiver,

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

), Chad Brown (

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Jason Gildon Jason Larue Gildon (born July 31, 1972) is a former outside linebacker for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers (1994–2003) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2004). He was selected to three Pro Bowl teams from 2000, 2001, and 2002, and i ...

(linebacker,

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

(Running Back,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

David Diehl David Michael Diehl (; born September 15, 1980) is a former American football offensive lineman who played his entire career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was the Giants starting left tackle on two Super Bow ...

(Pro Bowl Offensive Tackle,

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and current

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

Game analyst), Larry Johnson (running back,

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

Rudi Johnson Burudi Ali Johnson (born October 1, 1979) is a former American football running back who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Johnson was ...

(running back,

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...

, Wide Receiver, Titans and Ravens,

Samari Rolle Samari Toure Rolle (born August 10, 1976) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Rolle has also played for the Ba ...

, Cornerback, Titans and Ravens,

Tra Thomas William "Tra" Thomas III (born November 20, 1974) is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive line coach for IMG Academy. He played as an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Phila ...

Tackles, Eagles,

Lito Sheppard Lito Decorian Sheppard (born April 8, 1981) is an American football coach and former cornerback. During his playing career, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first ...

, Cornerback. Eagles, and quarterback

and current

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and

Jesse Palmer Jesse James Palmer (born October 5, 1978) is a Canadian television personality, sports commentator, actor, and former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons in the early 2000s. ...

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

studio host. Other football clients include

(Running Back,

) and Adam Jones

Cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

and

Authentic Athletix

In 2011 Schaffer started his own agency called Authentic Athletix, LLC, a sports and entertainment agency.

Media presence

Schaffer appears on ABC Nightly News, Fox Sports, the Dan Patrick Show, HBO Real Sports and 60 Minutes. He has also co-hosted shows on KFFN (Denver) and Altitude Sports Network. His thoughts on the NFL can be read regularly in his national column for the ''Washington Posts "Inside the League." He has served as a Professor of Sports Law at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

and has lectured at

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common ...

, University of Colorado Business School, Johnson and Wales University,

University of Colorado Law School The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies in ...

and the University of New York-Cortland among others. He has also served as Chairman of the Denver Cable Commission and the Denver Professional Lacrosse Commission. He is a member of the Agent Advisory Board of the NFL Players Union and is a member of both the NFLPA and NHLPA. On August 11, 2015, the

Esquire Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashion ...

premiered a new docu-series titled ''The Agent'' which follows Schaffer and three other NFL agents as they court potential clients in the months leading up to the NFL draft. Camera crews documented Schaffer's recruitment of Florida State star defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and 2014

Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Paycom ...

winner

Gerod Holliman Gerod Holliman (born May 6, 1994) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. At the University of Louisville, he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back in college football. He set an NCAA record for most i ...

of Louisville. The series includes footage of Schaffer playing golf with NFL star and client Adam Jones, a trip to a men's lacrosse tournament where Schaffer convinces his teammates to take the

Wonderlic test The Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test (formerly Wonderlic Personnel Test) is an assessment used to measure the cognitive ability and problem-solving aptitude of prospective employees for a range of occupations. It is a proprietary ...

with his new clients and even captures Schaffer watching former Washington State quarterback

Connor Halliday Connor Halliday (born March 23, 1992) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2015. After his release for the Redskins he was signed by the BC Lions in the same year and t ...

suffer a broken leg shortly after contacting him as a potential client.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaffer, Peter 1962 births American sports agents Living people The Hill School alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni