While rookie Tommy DeVito may be the new shining star of the New York Giants, it’s his sports agent that has everyone doing a double take.
On 11 December, the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The team’s unlikely hero, undrafted quarterback DeVito, led the Giants to a 24-22 victory, their first three-game winning streak since 2022.
However, his agent Sean Stellato stole the show during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast. Ahead of the game, cameras caught the 25-year-old New Jersey native with Stellato on the field. While DeVito - whose nickname is “Tommy Cutlets” - has often made fans aware of his Italian-American heritage, it was Stellato who definitely looked the part.
The 45-year-old agent was seen decked out in a black blazer with pinstripes, a white handkerchief sitting in the front jacket pocket, and a black turtleneck underneath. He accessorised the look with none other than a black fedora, as he was spotted chatting enthusiastically on his cell phone.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for NFL fans to crack jokes about New Jersians and compare Stellato - who’s also Italian-American - to something from a classic mobster film or TV show.
“This is Tommy DeVito’s agent. Straight out of a movie,” wrote one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Is this a deleted scene from The Sopranos?” someone else asked, while another person joked: “The agent will be played by Joe Pesci in the movie.”
“Tommy DeVito is literally just every Italian New Yorker stereotype personified,” another user pointed out. “It’s glorious.”
Someone else said: “You cannot tell me this is not an SNL skit.”
Even former Giants player Eli Manning and his older brother, Peyton Manning, couldn’t help but crack jokes about Stellato’s look during their ESPN simulcast. “He looks like Johnny Fontane from The Godfather,” Peyton told his brother.
Stellato and the NFL rookie’s family stole the show once again when cameras caught DeVito’s father - Tom DeVito - planting a big kiss on the sports agent’s cheek after a major play. Stellato then returned the gesture, as ESPN commentator Joe Buck shouted over the footage: “They’re having kisses everywhere!”
He added: “This guy, the agent, may break the internet.”
According to his website Stellato Enhanced Sports, the sports agent hails from Salem, Massachusetts, where he was also quarterback at Salem High School. His client list includes former running back Alfred Morris, former Giants running back Shaun Draughn, former Eagles defensive end Bryan Braman, former Seahawks cornerback Tye Smith, and former defensive end Ryan Delaire.
Stellato is a member of the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame and was recently honoured by the Boston Italian consulate. “My grandfather immigrated from Sambiase on the coast of Calabria, Italy,” Stellato told The Salem News earlier this month. “The boat they were on was the SS Canopic and they were in the third class, the lowest possible means of ocean transport. They were shoemakers and came over with $14 to their name, which is pretty amazing. It’s one thing to search for the American dream and another to actually take that leap of faith.”
“The values my ancestors carried across the Atlantic haven’t changed: hard work, faith, generosity and grit,” he added.
DeVito, who went undrafted in 2023 but was later signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent, hasn’t shied away from discussing his Italian-American roots. In fact, his family provided fans outside Metlife Stadium with a feast of fried chicken cutlet sandwiches topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and balsamic glaze as well as trays of pasta, sausage, and peppers on Monday night.
Back in November, DeVito admitted that he still lives with his parents in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, because their home is only a 12-minute drive to the team’s practice facility. Plus, his mother - Lexy DeVito - still cooks for him.
“I don’t have to worry about laundry, what I’m eating for dinner, chicken cutlets and all that is waiting for me when I get there,” he told ESPN. “My mom still makes my bed. Everything is handled for me. Honestly, I don’t even know if I could find a place closer to here than where I live. It takes me 12 minutes to get here.”
“It was a no-brainer for me,” DeVito added. “The decision was made since this level of football is stressful for a rookie, especially from the quarterback position. There is a lot going on, a lot of meetings. So everything outside of football is handled by my family.”
