As reported yesterday, Johnny Manziel missed the first day of the NFLPA Rookie Premiere he arrived Day 2 Missing day one was something that NFLPA President DeMaurice Smith was not pleased with. We spoke to him yesterday and he was quick to point out the value of these meetings along with how much work was put in to make these meetings happen.
“This is an opportunity that we negotiated for [players] to learn how to maximize, not only their brand, but their role in the business of football. The core part of it is [that] we teach not so much how to care about your marketable commodity as a brand, but issues such as personal responsibility. What we expect from you as a member of this union. What players have come before you and fought for you. I don’t have a specific comment or care about whether [Manziel] is here or not, but those are the lessons that we try to instill in the guys that are here and we hope that they learn them.”
Attending this event with the rookies is very important because it will show that he is actually one of the guys. It is important for Manziel to realize that the perception of him in the NFL does matter because they are his peers. The Cleveland Browns have already made it a point to bring Johnny Football more down to earth by announcing that he will not be the starter. His attending the Rookie Premiere is a big step towards showing that he is actually just another player trying to make his mark in the NFL.
