NFL Tells Players at Rookie Symposium: Most of You Will Be Gone in Three Years
By Josh Sanchez
The NFL Rookie Symposium will be held next week where the 254 players will learn the ropes of the league and hear messages from experienced veterans who have served their time in the league and understand how to handle being a professional, along with those who struggled when they found their new money and fame.
NFL V.P. Troy Vincent told the Associated Press that one of the messages that will be delivered is that the players should understand they are not guaranteed a long and successful career and that most of the players will be out of the NFL in a matter of years.
“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.”
It is a great message for the players to hear. While it is the harsh reality of what will happen, it is a message that the rookies need to hear.
It is a privilege to play in the league and the quicker these players realize that they have a limited time doing what they love, the more equipped they will be to conduct themselves as professionals and be sure they enjoy every moment.
No one wants to hear that your dream won’t last forever, but it is a wake up call that will serve many of those young men well.