Who is David Canter? NFL agent under investigation for bribing teams at 2023 Draft

David Canter, the president of football at GSE Worldwide and an NFL agent, is currently under investigation by the league for alleged unethical practices. Canter, who is certified by the NFLPA, has been accused of engaging in various improprieties, the most serious of which is the claim that he offered bribes to NFL teams in exchange for them selecting his clients during the recent NFL Draft. Specifically, Canter is alleged to have offered the use of vacation facilities to team management if they drafted one of his clients.

These allegations are highly unusual and represent a significant departure from typical player-agent conduct. Canter, however, has denied any wrongdoing and has fully cooperated with the NFLPA. In a statement released by his attorney, Canter expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved quickly.

"We are aware that the NFL Players Association is looking into communications between my client and numerous management personnel of certain NFL teams. We expect the situation to be resolved promptly."

It should be noted that attempting to pay a team to draft a player is not explicitly prohibited by the NFLPA. Nevertheless, the players' union will be investigating whether Canter violated any of its Regulations for Contract Advisors. These regulations prohibit agents from engaging in any unlawful or dishonest conduct that could reflect poorly on their fitness as an advisor or jeopardize their clients' effective representation.

An Overview of David Canter's client list: Jayden Reed, DeMarcus Lawrence, and More

David Canter represents an impressive list of clients, including Jayden Reed, who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of this year's draft, and defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson, who was the final pick of the draft and taken by the Los Angeles Rams. Canter's client roster also includes established veterans such as Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins, DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys, and Asante Samuel Jr. of the Los Angeles Chargers.

David Canter currently has thirty-two active clients in the NFL and is affiliated with fifteen teams in the league. He has helped his clients sign contracts worth $198.1 million, and his 2022 season total stood at $48.7 million. He is a top-ten agent in the NFL.

What is the NFLPA's Policy on Agent Discipline?

The NFL Players Association takes agent discipline very seriously, and they do not tolerate abuse of such privileges by certified agents. In 2014 the NFLPA increased the six months suspension period for agent violations to an entire year.

Furthermore, an agent who violates the same provision previously disciplined for one year would now be penalized for two years for a repeat infraction.

"The intent behind increasing the discipline is to raise the standard of conduct that is acceptable for those persons who wish to represent NFL players," the memo stated.

"This is a goal that the majority of Contract Adviros who comply with the Regulations and competently serve our player membership have been encouraging the NFLPA to accomplish.