Tommy Helanen was a late draft pick, falling all the way to 16th overall in the latest NSFL draft, and reportedly, this tumble dealt a major blow to his ego. The wide receiver was caught on camera being snippy to reporters as he exited the draft building, and then kicking a trash can in anger once he was outside. But whether he likes his draft position, or not, he is now the property of the Orange County Otters, and he showed up to camp ready to work. His blazing speed and silky hands were on display as he worked like a man possessed. His face was contorted the entire time in a mesh of rage, and each time he scored a practice touchdown, he spiked the football with such velocity that others stepped back. As he approached the press after camp, he was breathing heavily and had clenched his fists.
"I knew I wasn't going too early, but this draft position is insulting to the caliber of player I am," Helanen finally commented to the media. "The fact that my agent represents a lot of players in a lot of leagues shouldn't have been a deterrent to drafting me. That's plain stupidity. I'm going to be the biggest steal in NSFL history, and all of you are going to regret snubbing me. I'll put all of you to shame. And the media will just back the scouts, but all of you will be wrong too."
Reportedly, Helanen would've fallen even further had Otters GM speculadora not known his agent from PBE, where Agent L represented the first overall pick, pitcher Barry Keller. The wide receiver has been working furiously to get his speed up to par with NSFL standards per speculadora's request, and also gave up a cut of his pay in order to be able to play in the pros this year. With Helanen heavily in debt, this was likely a very tough sacrifice for him to make, but it seems there was no doubt in his mind. He has been active with pressers and media appearances in order to receive some press fees, and antagonized the Twitter crew into giving him the Twitter money which he was owed. It seems he is trying to save up to go to the NSFL right away, in his post-draft season.
"I knew the second I was drafted that I needed and wanted to go up immediately and make an impact for the Orange County Otters. I won't be setting any records or leaving an impression in the DSFL, clearly not; I need to move up as quickly as possible and show all my doubters how sorely wrong they were," said Tommy Helanen. "It's my intent to play in the pros this season at all costs. Obviously, I'm really struggling with money, so only get two million in pay? It's absolutely brutal and it's going to be tough to make ends meet. But I'll find a way to fund weekly training and equipment, although right now it's a big question mark. I just have to."
Tommy Helanen was sighted at the NSFL training camp performing drills with his team, and then stayed after everyone left to continue working. One could presume that he truly believed that he held more value to his name than what the NSFL attributed to him, and that his drive is just a manifestation of his internal turmoil and hurt. In order to be an effective player long term, he'll need to get over this and focus on the field rather than just run on pure rage and fury. But it seems that his agent is also upset with his draft status, and considered dropping him after the disappointing results at the draft floor, which could add to Helanen's wounded pride.
Agent L waved to reporters and ambled over to give a quick statement, face tightened by a grimace and narrowed eyes. "Let me list my clients from other leagues. Ken Armstrong, SBA. Max scholarship, rookie of the year. Ola Wagstrom, SHL. Second overall pick, IIHF Federation Head. Nolan Petersen, GOMHL. Second overall pick, Seattle Spartans GM. Barry Keller, PBE. First overall pick, already in the PBE. Pat Svoboda, VHL. Was offered to be selected first overall in the VHLM draft. Morgan Pioveson, EFL. Pretty new, but got a max scholarship. Do you hear a difference between that, and SIXTEENTH OVERALL?! This is damaging to my portfolio and my reputation; I like to keep that aura of prestige about my name. I took Tommy on because I believed in him, and I'm rewarded with this disgraceful result. It's a shame that I wasted my time and energy on him. If he doesn't impress like hell in the NSFL, that'll be the final nail in the coffin, and I'll be dropping him as a client. He can find another agent with a lot less name recognition."
Tommy Helanen declined to comment on Agent L's statement regarding his draft outcome, but did say this about the agent's contributions. "Agent L has been a major help in kickstarting my career, and I hope that the agent will continue to work with me for the rest of it. Obviously, I didn't intend to go so low either, it was a shock to me too. But I think that dropping me would be an overreaction, because in spite of what scouts seem to think, I've worked really hard and trained at every opportunity possible. I think it would be good for the agent's reputation to have the biggest steal ever in that portfolio. It would show the agent saw talent when even the scouts didn't. That's a pretty good perception for folks to have about you. I get the anger, I feel it too. But we can't give up now."
Helanen is awaiting the start of the NSFL season, and will be looking to get to 90 speed and 200 TPE before it starts. It remains to be seen how he will perform in the professional spotlight, or how his performance will compare to his draft position and contract.
Word Count: 1009 Words
"I knew I wasn't going too early, but this draft position is insulting to the caliber of player I am," Helanen finally commented to the media. "The fact that my agent represents a lot of players in a lot of leagues shouldn't have been a deterrent to drafting me. That's plain stupidity. I'm going to be the biggest steal in NSFL history, and all of you are going to regret snubbing me. I'll put all of you to shame. And the media will just back the scouts, but all of you will be wrong too."
Reportedly, Helanen would've fallen even further had Otters GM speculadora not known his agent from PBE, where Agent L represented the first overall pick, pitcher Barry Keller. The wide receiver has been working furiously to get his speed up to par with NSFL standards per speculadora's request, and also gave up a cut of his pay in order to be able to play in the pros this year. With Helanen heavily in debt, this was likely a very tough sacrifice for him to make, but it seems there was no doubt in his mind. He has been active with pressers and media appearances in order to receive some press fees, and antagonized the Twitter crew into giving him the Twitter money which he was owed. It seems he is trying to save up to go to the NSFL right away, in his post-draft season.
"I knew the second I was drafted that I needed and wanted to go up immediately and make an impact for the Orange County Otters. I won't be setting any records or leaving an impression in the DSFL, clearly not; I need to move up as quickly as possible and show all my doubters how sorely wrong they were," said Tommy Helanen. "It's my intent to play in the pros this season at all costs. Obviously, I'm really struggling with money, so only get two million in pay? It's absolutely brutal and it's going to be tough to make ends meet. But I'll find a way to fund weekly training and equipment, although right now it's a big question mark. I just have to."
Tommy Helanen was sighted at the NSFL training camp performing drills with his team, and then stayed after everyone left to continue working. One could presume that he truly believed that he held more value to his name than what the NSFL attributed to him, and that his drive is just a manifestation of his internal turmoil and hurt. In order to be an effective player long term, he'll need to get over this and focus on the field rather than just run on pure rage and fury. But it seems that his agent is also upset with his draft status, and considered dropping him after the disappointing results at the draft floor, which could add to Helanen's wounded pride.
Agent L waved to reporters and ambled over to give a quick statement, face tightened by a grimace and narrowed eyes. "Let me list my clients from other leagues. Ken Armstrong, SBA. Max scholarship, rookie of the year. Ola Wagstrom, SHL. Second overall pick, IIHF Federation Head. Nolan Petersen, GOMHL. Second overall pick, Seattle Spartans GM. Barry Keller, PBE. First overall pick, already in the PBE. Pat Svoboda, VHL. Was offered to be selected first overall in the VHLM draft. Morgan Pioveson, EFL. Pretty new, but got a max scholarship. Do you hear a difference between that, and SIXTEENTH OVERALL?! This is damaging to my portfolio and my reputation; I like to keep that aura of prestige about my name. I took Tommy on because I believed in him, and I'm rewarded with this disgraceful result. It's a shame that I wasted my time and energy on him. If he doesn't impress like hell in the NSFL, that'll be the final nail in the coffin, and I'll be dropping him as a client. He can find another agent with a lot less name recognition."
Tommy Helanen declined to comment on Agent L's statement regarding his draft outcome, but did say this about the agent's contributions. "Agent L has been a major help in kickstarting my career, and I hope that the agent will continue to work with me for the rest of it. Obviously, I didn't intend to go so low either, it was a shock to me too. But I think that dropping me would be an overreaction, because in spite of what scouts seem to think, I've worked really hard and trained at every opportunity possible. I think it would be good for the agent's reputation to have the biggest steal ever in that portfolio. It would show the agent saw talent when even the scouts didn't. That's a pretty good perception for folks to have about you. I get the anger, I feel it too. But we can't give up now."
Helanen is awaiting the start of the NSFL season, and will be looking to get to 90 speed and 200 TPE before it starts. It remains to be seen how he will perform in the professional spotlight, or how his performance will compare to his draft position and contract.
Word Count: 1009 Words