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‘Women Don’t Belong in This Industry’ – Female NFL Agent Exposes Misogynistic Culture She Faced Breaking Into the League
Kelli Masters became the first female NFL agent to represent a first-round draft pick when she signed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy before the 2010 NFL Draft. McCoy was selected No. 3 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on draft night, launching Masters’ career as a high-profile agent.
Historic NFL Agent Kelli Masters Reveals Murky Misogyny in the Industry
During an appearance on “Front Office 360,” Masters detailed the misogyny that she faced from male agents as she tried to break into the industry during an NFL Combine meeting.
“During the combine, there is typically a meeting one of the days where all the agents are in one big ballroom. Like 900 sharks in one big ballroom,” Masters said. “And I was sitting in that room, you know, looking around, kind of feeling a bit insecure, since it was my very first time being there at the combine.
“One of the most prominent agents at the time and still is, was standing out there talking to reporters and he walked up to me and said, ‘You don’t belong here. What are you doing here? And women don’t belong in this industry.'”
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Masters further revealed how she dealt with the misogyny that she experienced from one of the leading agents in the sport during her first combine.
“And I had a choice to make in that moment,” Masters said. “I could either take in what he was saying and going, ‘You know what, you should know what works and what doesn’t.’ But instead, I stood up to him and I just said, ‘You don’t know me. You don’t know why I’m here and you don’t know what I’m capable of accomplishing.
“And how dare you tell me that I don’t belong here? You don’t know what players and their families are going to want in every single situation and you can’t assume the worst. You’re just gonna have to deal with me. I’m maybe one of the first, but I’m definitely not the last woman to be in this industry.”
Masters studied law at the University of Oklahoma, where she was also a baton twirler and winner of the Miss Oklahoma title in 1997. She also competed in the Miss America pageant.
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It did not take Masters long to be recognized as one of the best agents in the game, when she was named as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports by Bleacher Report in 2014. She has published an autobiography titled ‘High Impact Life.’
She represents, among others, Washington Commanders punter Tress Way, Carolina Panthers wide receiver David Moore and Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Ethan Downs.
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