As we move toward day three of the Rookie Symposium the activities will include a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as a PLAY 60 Youth Event. At the PLAY 60 the Rookie class will lead groups of Cleveland OH area children in interactive games, teach them football skills and drills, and follow up with a healthy barbecue.
During the Annual NFL Rookie Symposium, the 254 newest members of the 2013 NFL draft class have been preparing for their entry into one of the most prestigious sports leagues in the world. The Rookie Symposium serves as an orientation for all drafted rookies based on the four principles of NFL; History, Total Wellness, Experience and Professionalism.
Additionally, the symposium includes presentations, videos, and workshops focused on these principles as well as other topics, including player health and safety, decision making, mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence prevention, non-discrimination, and maintaining positive relationships.
Though it is an exciting time, one very powerful message has been resonating throughout the rookie meetings—most of your NFL careers will last less than three years.
NFL senior vice president of player engagement Troy Vincent told the Associated Press that this is not a long-lasting profession and that the players should be prepared for life post-NFL.
“We are not here to be dream killers,” Vincent said. “We have to be realistic, though, and you are now on the clock. So, of the drafted rookies, less than half will still be around three years from now. That doesn’t mean life stops; it better not. While we are introducing them to the NFL, we’re also talking about life after football. And there will be nothing these young men who come from all different walks of life have been through that one of us has not been through. There are life lessons that need to be learned right from the beginning.”
The harsh reality is that the NFL is a brutal league where career-ending injuries or bad luck can rear their ugly heads at any minute—the exact reason that the symposium exists. Whether you are first overall selection Eric Fisher, or Mr. Irrelevant like Justice Cunningham, anything can happen over the course of an NFL career. For these twenty-somethings, the symposium is a reality check to ensure that new players learn a number of valuable lessons, from managing finances to the simplest of life lessons and everything in-between.
Speakers include members of the NFL league office and clubs, professionals in specialized fields, and current and former NFL players with varying ranges of NFL experience.
The week long symposium for all of the players drafted in 2013 began June 23 and is scheduled to continue until June 26 for AFC rookies and June 26 to 29 for NFC rookies.
