Virgen: Steinberg feels at home

“All I cared about was getting more vodka. I lost any sense of anything else,” Leigh Steinberg told a room filled with family, friends, neighbors and fans at the Newport Beach Library Tuesday night.

When Steinberg spoke about his alcoholic addiction it wasn’t the high point of his speaking program, but it was certainly captivating.

Steinberg, the famous sports agent, spoke for about an hour about his life and autobiography. It could be described as Steinberg coming full circle.

His story didn’t end with one final bottle of vodka.

He’s back as a sports agent, writing for Rant Sports and Forbes.com. His column also appears in the Daily Pilot. He also has a weekly radio show.

He said he has been four and a half years sober. His book, “The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game,” with Michael Arkush has been a New York Times Best Seller.

Everyone listened when Steinberg told them how he got out of his rut and back in the game.

He said he had an epiphany while in rehab, where there wasn’t a bed for him initially. He said he had so many advantages that other people in the world did not have.

“What right did I have to just toss it all away,” Steinberg said.

He said his father had always told him to value family and friendship, and to do his best to make a difference in the world. He felt as if he wasn’t doing that and after his moment of perspective he changed.

“I went through a 12-step program,” said the 65-year-old Steinberg. “I had to work my way through a lot of wreckage. Recovery doesn’t happen all that quickly.”

Steinberg appeared to be sentimental speaking in a town he calls home, where he raised his children and worked as a groundbreaking sports agent.

His story on Tuesday night ended with applause. Many people bought his book and waited for him to sign it.

“Let me tell you, every day is a blessing for me because I don’t ever want to go back to having hundreds of athletes [as clients] again,” Steinberg said. “What I want to do is make a difference in a lot of different ways.”

Steinberg also said he felt blessed to have his son, Matt, now working with him.

He was there and listened to his father talk about his life and how he began his career with his first client quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who attended Cal with Steinberg.

Steinberg also talked about his influence of the movie Jerry Maguire and how Cameron Crowe followed him around for over a year to help develop the characters in the classic film.

When Crowe followed Steinberg and his client Tim McDonald around, he got to hear the hot catchphrase, as McDonald was a free agent at the time and told Steinberg that he wanted a team to, “Show me the money.”

That was during Steinberg’s heyday. His 40-year career included representation of over 150 pro athletes in football, basketball, baseball and boxing. He has a remarkable accomplishment of representing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a record eight times.

These days he competes for representation against agents he once taught and mentored.

It would be stunning to see Steinberg acquire the big-name-type clients he once had. But he seems OK with that. Tuesday was a clear example of his relevancy. Many in the crowd showed a true appreciation to meet him.

Steinberg was grateful to fulfill each request. As he said, he feels blessed.