Ken Francis was a seemingly random name to pop up in NFL news circles in late March.
There were reports that Francis, who is not certified as an agent by the NFLPA, was calling teams on behalf of former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson to negotiate a contract for him. Jackson, who does not have an agent, was given the nonexclusive franchise tag by the Ravens in March and can talk to other teams.
Francis says he was in fact calling NFL teams, but the talks did not have anything to do with where the quarterback may play next season.
“I never tried to negotiate for Lamar,” Francis said on Glenn Clark Radio April 10. “We’re pitching a product, our product ‘The Entire Gym.’ So, we’ve been trying to get it out there and it’s been seen by a lot of people.”
The Entire Gym is a portable carry case with wheels that contains a variety of gym equipment inside, such as dumbbells, gym mats, elastic bands, free weights and more. A person can bring it wherever they go to bring their fitness regime on the road.
Francis is the CEO of The Entire Gym. He got the idea to create the product when the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of access to gym equipment. Francis said he met with Jackson in Pompano Beach, Fla., to pitch the product to him and Jackson loved it. The two have been business partners since.
Francis said that he and Jackson were not well-versed with one another before this business venture, but they did run into each other occasionally considering both are from South Florida.
“That just speaks to Lamar, he’s a great guy,” Francis said. “Anyone on and off the field would tell you the same thing about Lamar. If you ever came into contact with him … he’s a perfect, first-class guy. He would treat the janitor the same way he treats the president, with the same respect. So, like I said, he’s one hell of a guy and we’re glad to have him on board.”
The product is set to launch in the summer as Francis continues to look for more partners. He also indicated that Jackson has been very involved in getting The Entire Gym into the public scene.
“Lamar is hands-on with the business side of things,” Francis said. “… He’s co-founder. He helped me create it, develop it from scratch. So, he’s not just an endorser of the product. He’s actually part of the company.”
Jackson has other businesses in his portfolio. He owns Play Action Soulfood in Pompano Beach and an apparel line. He is also a part-owner of Blaze Pizza in Westminster.
“He has a lot going for him outside of football. He’s great on the business side of things,” Francis said.
As far as Jackson’s football career goes, Francis provided little to no information on the quarterback’s next move, noting that Jackson is a very private person. Jackson revealed on Twitter that he requested a trade prior to the franchise tag deadline.
However, Francis did note that Jackson does not seem to have any ill will toward the Ravens organization.
“I personally have never heard Lamar speak negatively about John Harbaugh or Eric DeCosta,” Francis said. “As far as I’m concerned, he has the utmost respect for those guys. The Baltimore Ravens is a first-class organization. I personally feel like they will do the right thing, but it’s up to them.”
For more from Francis, listen to the full interview here:
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