The NFL has eliminated the yearly Rookie Symposium and now teams like the Minnesota Vikings will host a Rookie Transition Program for first year players.
In the past, every player selected in the NFL Draft had to attend an event called the Rookie Symposium which talked about transitioning from college football to the NFL. Topics included interacting with fans, coaches, and the media as well as other tips like how to set money aside for the future and work with the players’ union.
However, the NFL has decided to do away with this event and instead have each team, including the Minnesota Vikings, hold their own yearly event. All first year players, including draft picks and undrafted free agents will be required to attend this event where lessons similar to the ones at the Rookie Symposium will be taught, but it can be more specific to teams and much more hands-on.
Here is a brief explanation as to why the change was made according to NFL vice president of player engagement Charles Way in an article on ESPN.com:
"“By shifting the model to the clubs from a centrally located program exclusive to drafted rookies,” Way said, “we can reach all of our rookies, introduce them to resources in their community, and afford them the experience from active and former players at their club who successfully transitioned into the NFL.”"
This will be a great program for the undrafted free agents who may have otherwise missed out on the opportunity to learn about some of the details of the NFL and how to prepare for and ensure their future. In addition, coaches and executives can bring in players specific to the history of each team to talk about their experiences and make it a much more personal experience for the players involved.
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The event will be held from June 20-22 for teams from the NFC and June 22-24 for AMC squads. Hopefully, these kind of programs can help keep some of these players from making a horrible mistake or being foolish as we’ve seen many times in the past. This is just one more great opportunity for Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer to instill some class and protect his players, and he will never miss a chance to do just that.