It is unusual but not unheard of for a pro athlete to represent himself in contract negotiations, as Crew SC forward Kei Kamara did during the preseason.
But Kamara did quite well for himself without an agent. He secured a three-year designated player deal announced Wednesday that will pay him at least $1 million per season. It roughly doubled Kamara’s salary and extended his contract by a year, through the 2018 season.
“He was thorough,” said coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter, who represented the Crew. “ Give him credit.”
Kamara played down his part, and he credited Berhalter with how he handled their shared situation in which they played the roles of coach and player in the morning and agent and general manager in the afternoon.