I am wondering how much influence the agents have over the positions taken by the players in the negotiations. Is this confrontation and possible decertification, walk out or lock out being driven by the players, owners or the agents. Does anyone have information regarding the power of the agents in this stand off? I am not interested in opinions but would appreciate any fact based insight regarding the driving force behind this difficult negotiation. In other words who is the power broker! What percentage of a players contract dollars does an agent pocket? Does the agent receive upfront money on the total contract or is the agent paid as the contract is paid to the player. Because most contracts have monies upfront, bonus, back loaded etc. they are very convuluted and creative. So basically I would like to know what is in the best financial interest of the agent and could this be what is driving the wedge to force the owners to open their books? Would this put more money in the pockets of not just the players but more importantly the agents. Of course lowering the cap on rookies hurts the agents and the rookies but shortening the length of contracts really enhances the future earning power of the agents. I would be very appreciative of any insight and knowledge in this area!