No happy ending for ‘real-life Jerry Maguire’

Leigh Steinberg, the legendary US sports agent and lawyer who inspired the hit Tom Cruise flick ‘Jerry Maguire’, has filed for bankruptcy.

In a letter to US newspaper The Orange County Register, he admitted he had been battling alcoholism for years, and has been left almost penniless.

He wrote: “I am responsible for my own addiction – no one forced me to drink – and in revealing my struggle with alcoholism, I am in no way justifying or excusing my circumstance.

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His money problems began back in 2003, when an unnamed former employee borrowed £195,000 from an NFL player without him knowing. The player found out, fired Steinberg and joined a rival firm. A costly legal battle followed.

Steinberg said he was asked to pay back four times the debt, which has left him “hamstrung” and unable to work as an agent.

"If I cannot be recertified, I cannot work in the field that I have been trained in, which is to the benefit of this rival agent."

It’s a sad fall for one of the most colourful characters in American sport and someone who was heavily involved in ‘Jerry Maguire’.

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In an interview with Sports Hollywood, he said director Cameron Crowe followed him around for two years to research the film.

He said: “[Crowe] went to the NFL draft with me in 1993, to player workouts, the NFL meetings, and even the '94 Super Bowl.”

The agent was on set for much of filming and the production staff even copied the layout of his office. He also had a cameo in the film.

‘Jerry Maguire’ is most memorable for Cruise’s “Show me the money!” scene, as well as the Oscar Cuba Gooding Jr. won for the film.