Teddy Bridgewater Invited To NFLPA Rookie Premiere

If you’re wondering why rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t at OTA’s today, it is because he had the opportunity to attend the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event.  The event started on Thursday in Los Angeles, California and will run through Saturday.

Dec 15, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings honor former quarterback Daunte Culpepper before the game with the Philadelphia Eagles at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings win 48-30. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

This event will do a number of things for NFL rookies.  Here is a quick list of what will be done at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere Event:

• Seminars on financial planning
• Brand building and awareness
• Group player rights
• Social media practices

A number of former NFL players and employees will speak at the event, including former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, running back Jamaal Charles, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and NFLPI President Keith Gordon as well as many others.

It won’t all be taking notes and listening to lectures for these rookies though.  They will also have representatives from several trading card companies there to take photos of them in the jerseys of their new teams.

Here is the full list of the rookies attending the NFLPA Rookie Premiere:

• Davonte Adams, WR – Green Bay Packers
• Dri Archer, RB – Pittsburgh Steelers
• Odell Beckham, Jr., WR – New York Giants
• Kelvin Benjamin, WR – Carolina Panthers
• Blake Bortles, QB – Jacksonville, Jaguars
• Tajh Boyd, QB – New York Jets
• Teddy Bridgewater, QB – Minnesota Vikings
• Ka’Deem Carey, RB – Chicago Bears
• Jadeveon Clowney, DE – Houston Texans
• Brandin Cooks, WR – New Orleans Saints
• Eric Ebron, TE – Detroit Lions
• Mike Evans, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Devonta Freeman, RB – Atlanta Falcons
• Jimmy Garoppolo, QB – New England Patriots
• Jeremy Hill, RB – Cincinnati Bengals
• Carlos Hyde, RB – San Francisco 49ers
• Jarvis Landry, WR – Miami Dolphins
• Cody Latimer, WR – Denver Broncos
• Marqise Lee, WR – Jacksonville Jaguars
• Khalil Mack, LB – Oakland Raiders
• Johnny Manziel, QB – Cleveland Browns
• Tre Mason, RB – St. Louis Rams
• Jordan Matthews, WR – Philadelphia Eagles
• A.J. McCarron, QB – Cincinnati Bengals
• Donte Moncrief, WR – Indianapolis Colts
• Aaron Murray, QB – Kansas City Chiefs
• Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB – Seattle Seahawks
• Paul Richardson, WR – Seattle Seahawks
• Allen Robinson, WR – Jacksonville Jaguars
• Bishop Sankey, RB – Tennessee Titans
• Tom Savage, QB – Houston Texans
• Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Connor Shaw, QB – Cleveland Browns
• De’Anthony Thomas, RB – Kansas City Chiefs
• Logan Thomas, QB- Arizona Cardinals
• Khyri Thornton, DL – Green Bay Packers
• Sammy Watkins, WR – Buffalo Bills
• Asa Watson, TE – New England Patriots
• Terrance West, RB – Cleveland Browns
• Avery Williamson, LB – Tennessee Titans

Hopefully, these rookies listen closely to the advice and take in a lot of the knowledge that will be distributed during this NFLPA Rookie Premiere.  Too often these days we hear stories about players going bankrupt or really hurting their reputations through social media.  This program should help young players prepare for dealing with many of the things that come with being a star athlete in the NFL.

And many of these players could go on to be huge stars in the National Football League…but they have to know how to survive the league first.