Mark Bartelstein
Since the company’s inception in 1985, CEO and Founder Mark Bartelstein, has earned a reputation for his unique and innovative approach to representing athletes in contract negotiations and general career planning, including off-the-field opportunities and interests. Based on his knowledge of the intricacies of the NFL salary cap, Mark has provided expert analysis on the topic at numerous sports industry seminars. Through Mark’s leadership, Priority Sports & Entertainment has become one of the elite firms in the industry. Mark first gained worldwide acclaim, when he negotiated the largest contract in the history of team sports. Mark graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University in 1984. He and his wife Sheri have four children (Josh, Morgan, Courtney, and Kirby) and reside in Highland Park, Illinois.

Deryk Gilmore
Deryk Gilmore is a certified contract advisor for Priority Sports. Prior to joining the Priority team, Deryk was involved with college athletics for over 11 years working in football as a Recruiting Coordinator and Director of Football Operations in both the Big Ten and Pac Ten conferences. A New York native, Gilmore lettered and played defensive tackle for the Penn State Nittany Lions, a member of the 1986 National Championship Team. After graduating from college, Gilmore went on to the University of Illinois where he began his work in football evaluating and recruiting the top high school players in the country. Developing unique strategies to market high school prospects, Gilmore helped the Illini recruit players that would take Illinois to the first major bowl game in 10 years. Deryk was then hired by the University of Oregon where he led the Ducks to a top 10 recruiting class in football and top 5 class in basketball, their highest ranked classes in the program’s history. Gilmore, known for his creative marketing strategies has been featured in a number of sports publications. Deryk has a Bachelor of Science from Penn State in Agribusiness Management and an MBA in Operations and MS in Sports Marketing from the University of Illinois. He and his wife Camille, live in Atlanta, GA, with their sons Dantae’ and Deion.

Tony Hickombottom
Tony Hickombottom has been involved in professional football for the past seven years. Prior to joining Priority Sports in 2003, Tony spent time at CSMG Sports where he worked on both football and business development projects. In his role as Football Operations Manager at Priority Sports, Tony is an NFLPA certified player-agent and is heavily involved in all aspects of client representation. From recruiting players to the many facets of NFL Pre-Draft preparation, Tony is an integral part in ensuring our clients are best served. Other segments include media relations and marketing opportunities for our clients. Much of his time is devoted to player research, and analyzing NFL statistics, contracts and trends within the league to give our company a competitive edge. Tony graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Communication Studies. He currently resides in Chicago, IL.

Mike McCartney
Mike McCartney has been involved in college football and the NFL as a coach, scout and personnel executive for more than 20 years. As the Quarterbacks Coach and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator at Colorado from 1987 through the 1989 season, Mike helped his father, Head Coach Bill McCartney, turn Colorado into a national power before moving on to coach at North Carolina for the 1990 and 1991 seasons. Over the next 6 years, Mike worked as a College and Pro Scout for the Chicago Bears. In 1998, Mike joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their Director of Pro Personnel. During his tenure, Mike was a key contributor in transforming the Eagles from a 3-13 club to a team that was 2 games away from the Super Bowl. As Director of Football Operations for Priority Sports, Mike was the first top-level front-office executive in the NFL to leave the league, during the salary cap era, for a major football representation firm. Mike brings the perspective and contacts of an NFL Scout and Executive which is invaluable to Priority clients in preparation for the NFL Draft and the upcoming NFL season. Mike received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Colorado, and his Master’s in Sports Administration from North Carolina. He and his wife Jenni, reside in Downers Grove, Illinois, with their 3 sons, Nickolas, Justin & Brandon, and daughter Alexa.

Rick Smith
Rick Smith has played an integral role in the development of Priority Sports & Entertainment since it ’s inception in 1985. As President -Team Operations & General Counsel, he is involved in all aspects of client representation and business operations. Working as a team, Rick, Kenny, Mike, Deryk, Tony and Mark develop a strategic career plan for each client. Each brings a unique perspective to contract negotiations and maintains a strong working relationship with every NFL General Manager. As an attorney, Rick also reviews the legal issues inherent in all team, endorsement and personal contracts. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Rick received his Law Degree from Northwestern University. He and his wife Julie reside in Highland Park, Illinois, with their two children, Emily and Jared.

Kenny Zuckerman
Kenny Zuckerman has been associated with the NFL as a player representative and a contract advisor for 23 years. As President of Athlete Representation at Priority Sports & Entertainment, Kenny is involved in all aspects of client representation, specializing in contract negotiations. Also, Kenny has earned a reputation for the development and planning comprehensive combine training programs which help players perform at their highest levels and escalate their draft status. In addition, Kenny has also developed position specific pre-draft programs that have resulted in Priority clients meteoric rise up the draft board. Kenny’s hands-on approach in representing clients (being present at all combines, all-star games, pre-draft workouts, etc) brings a comfort level to Priority’s clients as they go through this difficult process. Kenny graduated from the University of Arizona, where he lettered and played wide receiver for the Wildcats. He and his wife, Shani, reside in Beverly Hills, CA, with their son, Reggie, and daughter, Mickie.