Tommy DeVito Learning How to Manage Growing Fame
If New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito had his druthers, all he'd have to worry about is football.
That is, after all, a big reason why the 25-year-old rookie still lives at home with his parents, so that he can focus on learning the weekly game plan, studying game film, and doing whatever he needs to succeed on game day.
The reality for DeVito is that thanks to his rags-to-riches story, he's become just as in demand off the field as he is on it, and in trying to navigate the shark-filled waters of business, DeVito has realized that he can't do it alone.
The quarterback made waves when a scheduled personal appearance at a pizzeria was canceled after a miscommunication between DeVito's agent, Sean Stellato, and the restaurant's owner over the quarterback's appearance fee.
DeVito and the pizzeria owner, Nino Coniglio, ultimately buried the hatchet after a series of public social media postings put the quarterback's representation team in a bad light. Still, it taught DeVito a valuable lesson about paying closer attention to his brand on and off the field.
"Obviously, a million things are going on, and some stuff just slipped through the cracks," DeVito said Wednesday. "As soon as I got word – I got word via my telephone--I was like, 'What is this?' I made some calls to my team at the time, got it sorted out, and wanted to get over there."
The highly publicized mixup with Conglio's ended up the final straw for DeVito, who hired Maxx Lepselter of Maxx MGMT to handle his off-field marketing opportunities, replacing Stellato in that role to ensure that future marketing appearances run more smoothly.
Stellato, who hopped onto the DeVito publicity bandwagon with his colorfully stylish outfits honoring his heritage, remains DeVito's football agent.
DeVito, who no doubt dreamed of having the success he's currently enjoying but who may have wondered if that would come this soon, said the whole experience with Conglio's has taught him to be more vigilant regarding his brand.
"Everything you do is under a microscope times a hundred, even more now," he said. "Anything that happens will be in some kind of article, like how this happened. I'm sure if this had happened a month ago, it probably wouldn't have happened the way it did, but it did. Got cleaned up, but just continue to be yourself, though."
DeVito, who went through similar adulation in high school and college, is determined not to let his success go to his head.
"I know how it is at the quarterback position, no matter what level," he said. "Now it's more, but you've got to be yourself and be a good person at all times."
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