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The curious case of American sprinter Walter Dix
By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
EUGENE, Ore. (AP)—Success seems to come easy for Walter Dix. Dealing with it has been a much different story.
The sprinter is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, a highly decorated collegiate runner at Florida State and owner of an almost unprecedented endorsement deal with Nike.
He’s also a reluctant star who shies away from the spotlight, recently let go his coach and is in a legal scuffle with agent Kimberly Holland who helped him broker his rich contract, alleging that Nike was interested in him long before she came along.
The puzzling career of one of America’s most enigmatic track stars took another strange twist Friday when he hurt his hamstring in the 100 at U.S. championships, an injury that could keep him out of the 200, as well.
On Monday, Dix heads to an arbitration hearing where the contract dispute with his agent will be resolved.
This is hardly the direction you’d expect from a sprinter who brings two bronze medals home from Beijing.
Instead of speaking engagements and pay-to-race meets, Dix has kept a low profile, appearing primarily in local competitions in Florida.
“Be patient,” his father, Washington Dix, said in a phone conversation. “Wait and see what happens. We’ve got a plan and we’re following through.”
The plan—at least until the untimely injury this week—was to figure out a way to narrow the gap between Dix and world record holder Usain Bolt—a dilemma Dix shares with every other sprinter on the planet.
“That 6-foot-5 frame (of Bolt) is something to deal with,” said Dix’s father, who’s helping oversee his son’s training. “We’re working diligently on starts.”
From afar, coach Terry Long recently observed Dix stumble to a slow start in the 100 at the Prefontaine Classic.
The two were plotting a course to fix his starts, overhauling his acceleration in the first 40 meters.
The coach was interested to see the final product, but got fired in April.
“That was one of the unfortunate parts of the separation,” Long said. “He can be very good. He is very good … To earn a position on top of the hill and keep it is very difficult.”
In college, Dix was trumpeted as the future of American sprinting. Nobody would’ve blamed him for leaving school after 2007, not after dominating at the NCAA track meet.
But he didn’t follow the conventional path, staying in school to earn his degree.
He captured the 200-meter title in 2008 and helped the Seminoles nab another crown.
Instead of signing a deal right away, he waited until after the Olympic trials.
“I just flipped the script. My thing was to make the (Olympic) team first,” Dix said before the Beijing Games. “The opportunity to make the Olympic team comes around once in a lifetime, and that’s what I did.”
He made it twice, in fact, and as a double qualifier, he received deals with Nike and Oakley sunglasses.
Now, that contract has him in the middle of an arbitration case. Under advisement, Dix referred all questions to his attorney, Jason Wolf.
His camp is alleging that Holland and her business, Icon Management, locked him into an unfair contract and won’t let him out. They say Holland wasn’t the sole reason he got the Nike contract, and that she isn’t entitled to her 20 percent commission of the deal that was worth between $4 million to $5 million over a 4 1/2 -year period.
“It’s widely known the (Nike) deal was there for Walter long before he heard of Kimberly Holland,” Wolf said.
They also claim the Atlanta-based agency didn’t obtain endorsements and appearances for him as promised, failing to make him a household name.
Holland has a list of endorsement opportunities she tried to secure for Dix. She negotiated the contract with Oakley as well.
The agent said she also tried to arrange magazine and television interviews for her client, and Dix declined many.
Some who know him say it’s a simple matter of shyness. He has never liked the spotlight. Others think there’s something more sinister going on—a toxic mixture of greed and ego.
“You are a double bronze winner, losing to a guy (Bolt) who shattered the world record and you think you should be a household name?” said Holland’s attorney, C. Anthony Mulrain. “His expectations are totally unrealistic.”
Mulrain said the major thrust of the lawsuit initiated by Icon is to receive full compensation for services rendered under the contract.
So contentious is the relationship that Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track, tried to mediate, but was unable to mend fences.
“It’s in the best interest of our sport for that to get resolved and resolved quickly,” Logan said.
That should happen soon.
“We like our chances,” Wolf said. “We have a solid case built. If you talked to her counsel, I’m sure they have the same opinion about their case.”
Since the fallout, Dix has been representing himself, running only in a handful of meets.
His father insists he’s not in hiding, just working—diligently.
“All he needs to do is concentrate on running and get that time down,” he said. “Walter is working toward the 2012 Olympic gold medal.”
The curious case of American sprinter Walter Dix
By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
EUGENE, Ore. (AP)—Success seems to come easy for Walter Dix. Dealing with it has been a much different story.
The sprinter is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, a highly decorated collegiate runner at Florida State and owner of an almost unprecedented endorsement deal with Nike.
He’s also a reluctant star who shies away from the spotlight, recently let go his coach and is in a legal scuffle with agent Kimberly Holland who helped him broker his rich contract, alleging that Nike was interested in him long before she came along.
The puzzling career of one of America’s most enigmatic track stars took another strange twist Friday when he hurt his hamstring in the 100 at U.S. championships, an injury that could keep him out of the 200, as well.
On Monday, Dix heads to an arbitration hearing where the contract dispute with his agent will be resolved.
This is hardly the direction you’d expect from a sprinter who brings two bronze medals home from Beijing.
Instead of speaking engagements and pay-to-race meets, Dix has kept a low profile, appearing primarily in local competitions in Florida.
“Be patient,” his father, Washington Dix, said in a phone conversation. “Wait and see what happens. We’ve got a plan and we’re following through.”
The plan—at least until the untimely injury this week—was to figure out a way to narrow the gap between Dix and world record holder Usain Bolt—a dilemma Dix shares with every other sprinter on the planet.
“That 6-foot-5 frame (of Bolt) is something to deal with,” said Dix’s father, who’s helping oversee his son’s training. “We’re working diligently on starts.”
From afar, coach Terry Long recently observed Dix stumble to a slow start in the 100 at the Prefontaine Classic.
The two were plotting a course to fix his starts, overhauling his acceleration in the first 40 meters.
The coach was interested to see the final product, but got fired in April.
“That was one of the unfortunate parts of the separation,” Long said. “He can be very good. He is very good … To earn a position on top of the hill and keep it is very difficult.”
In college, Dix was trumpeted as the future of American sprinting. Nobody would’ve blamed him for leaving school after 2007, not after dominating at the NCAA track meet.
But he didn’t follow the conventional path, staying in school to earn his degree.
He captured the 200-meter title in 2008 and helped the Seminoles nab another crown.
Instead of signing a deal right away, he waited until after the Olympic trials.
“I just flipped the script. My thing was to make the (Olympic) team first,” Dix said before the Beijing Games. “The opportunity to make the Olympic team comes around once in a lifetime, and that’s what I did.”
He made it twice, in fact, and as a double qualifier, he received deals with Nike and Oakley sunglasses.
Now, that contract has him in the middle of an arbitration case. Under advisement, Dix referred all questions to his attorney, Jason Wolf.
His camp is alleging that Holland and her business, Icon Management, locked him into an unfair contract and won’t let him out. They say Holland wasn’t the sole reason he got the Nike contract, and that she isn’t entitled to her 20 percent commission of the deal that was worth between $4 million to $5 million over a 4 1/2 -year period.
“It’s widely known the (Nike) deal was there for Walter long before he heard of Kimberly Holland,” Wolf said.
They also claim the Atlanta-based agency didn’t obtain endorsements and appearances for him as promised, failing to make him a household name.
Holland has a list of endorsement opportunities she tried to secure for Dix. She negotiated the contract with Oakley as well.
The agent said she also tried to arrange magazine and television interviews for her client, and Dix declined many.
Some who know him say it’s a simple matter of shyness. He has never liked the spotlight. Others think there’s something more sinister going on—a toxic mixture of greed and ego.
“You are a double bronze winner, losing to a guy (Bolt) who shattered the world record and you think you should be a household name?” said Holland’s attorney, C. Anthony Mulrain. “His expectations are totally unrealistic.”
Mulrain said the major thrust of the lawsuit initiated by Icon is to receive full compensation for services rendered under the contract.
So contentious is the relationship that Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track, tried to mediate, but was unable to mend fences.
“It’s in the best interest of our sport for that to get resolved and resolved quickly,” Logan said.
That should happen soon.
“We like our chances,” Wolf said. “We have a solid case built. If you talked to her counsel, I’m sure they have the same opinion about their case.”
Since the fallout, Dix has been representing himself, running only in a handful of meets.
His father insists he’s not in hiding, just working—diligently.
“All he needs to do is concentrate on running and get that time down,” he said. “Walter is working toward the 2012 Olympic gold medal.”