Show me the steaks: Leigh Steinberg

“Show me the money!” You might recognize this line from the hit Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire. For Leigh Steinberg, of whom Jerry Maguire was based on, it was a common phrase in his life. The super sports agent, and the featured Legend in our Lunch with a Legend series at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Santa Ana, sat down for a lively Q&A with ESPN’s Max Kellerman and Mark Willard while Marcellus Wiley, a former player Steinberg represented, sounded off on the phone.

Super agent Leigh Steinberg has not only represented some of the biggest names in the NFL (Steve Young, Eric Dickerson, Steve Bartkowski, Ricky Williams, and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few), but he has also consulted on major motion pictures like Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday, and For Love of the Game.

Clearly from the interview, Leigh Steinberg wants professional football back in Los Angeles. He believes it will get done in the near future and provided reasons why it can happen. The Los Angeles-based crowd cheered in agreement. They also cheered when Steinberg said that Dodgers’ owner, Frank McCourt “needs to go back to Boston” and for him to give Los Angeles their Dodgers back.

One great thing about Steinberg is that he was not only a legendary agent that got players’ tons of money, but he also encouraged them to give back to the local communities. He said that even before Oprah, he was helping pay for down payments to single mothers’ first homes.

In attendance with our 103 guests were former Los Angeles Rams, Vince Ferragamo (another Lunch with a Legend featured guest as well) and Mike Lansford (who was represented by Steinberg). Just as the interview ended, Leigh stood up and stated: “It’s so nice to be here at Morton’s. I used to bring potential clients here and it was always great as long as my credit card worked.” We could not agree more.

For more behind-the-scenes action, read Los Angeles Times’ Steve Virgen’s blog re-cap.

Reported by Wayne Pua

The Legend: Richie Petitbon (center)

NFL fever struck fans at Morton’s The Steakhouse in downtown DC hard last week when former Chicago Bears safety and Washington Redskins defensive line coach, Richie Petitbon joined ESPN980’s “The Sports Fix” hosts, Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro, for Lunch with a Legend.

The boardrooms were packed with fans sporting Redskins and Bears jerseys, the two teams with which he spent most of his career. Petitbon, though, was sporting one of what could have been any of his five Superbowl rings. He laughed with the sold-out crowd about his time with the Redskins during their ‘golden years’ from ’81 – ’92. He told tales of shutting out Joe Montana, winning the 1963 Superbowl against the Giants, and coaching alongside George Allen. Coach Petitbon even shared that he shamelessly cries every time he watches the true to life film “Brian’s Song,” based on the life of Brian Piccolo, a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, and his friendship with Bears teammate, Gale Sayers.

The New Orleans native showed his true colors (burgundy and gold of course) though when asked a question about the Dallas Cowboys. Spoken like a true Washingtonian, he remarked that despite all his time playing and coaching in the NFL that “to this day I still hate Dallas.” If you’ve been to a game in DC you know just how loud the crowd got after that line! The three-course lunch left guests satisfied, but even more so knowing that yes, there will be an NFL season this year!

Reported by Anthony Hesselius, Linda Roth Associates, Inc. and Wayne Pua

Still hungry? Click here to learn more about Morton’s ‘Lunch with a Legend’ series throughout the U.S.