Animal rights group PETA has condemned NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus for sharing a video of himself putting his hands on a shark he had caught on a fishing line.
Rosenhaus and his agency, Rosenhaus Sports, have represented several star players, such as Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. The 56-year-old currently represents Tyreek Hill and was negotiating the four-year, $120 million contract that made the Miami Dolphins wide receiver the highest-paid player in that position in NFL history last year.
Hill was also out on the fishing trip, according to Rosenhaus. The agent shared two short videos from the excursion on Twitter Tuesday and has received significant backlash on social media in the days since.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ( PETA ) are the latest to criticise Rosenhaus. The American nonprofit has dubbed him a "wannabe macho man."
"Spending so much time around top athletes must have Drew Rosenhaus feeling like he has something to prove," PETA said in a statement to TMZ. "Aquatic animals already suffer at the hands of anglers who impale them, yank them out of the water, and gut them or leave them to suffocate, so they don't need some wannabe macho man yanking on their tails for a few Twitter 'likes.'"
Rosenhaus has yet to react publicly to the backlash. However, he has not seemed particularly perturbed but the controversy judging by his social media activity.
The initial video featured the caption: "Went fishing with @cheetah [Tyreek Hill] today and decided to get up close to this Dusky Shark." Some six hours later, after sharing the link to a Barstool article about the clip, Rosenhaus posted another shorter clip showing him grabbing a shark's tail and holding onto it for a few seconds.
Hill also tweeted about the fishing trip. "Got in a battle for 45 min just find out it was a shark !! Good times," the caption read on a video showing the wideout struggling while trying to reel in the rod he is manning. He also posted a photo of himself holding a large fish while on the boat, with the caption: "Him."
The Dolphins player is invited to join Rosenhaus in the water, as overheard in the agent's video clips, but abruptly declines. "Hell naw," was the emphatic response.
A day after the videos went on social media, Miami-Dade Police Department announced they were investigating Hill for allegedly assaulting a marina employee at Miami Beach. The one-time Super Bowl champion faces accusations of hitting a boat crew employee on the back of the head after a disagreement.
The Dolphins have since acknowledged the investigation. A statement reads: "We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Tyreek, his representatives and the NFL.
"We will reserve further comment at this time," it adds.
