College teammates Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick won’t be able to catch up much during the Rookie Symposium.
The event, which kicks off this Sunday, will have the rookies divided by conference to facilitate smaller groups for the presentations and workshops during the four-day event. In a statement from the league, NFL Vice President of Player Engagement Troy Vincent explained why he and other organizers decided to make the change.
“We have reduced the number of draftees simultaneously attending the symposium to create the most favorable learning environment,” said Vincent. “Each rookie should leave the symposium with the knowledge and history of where our game began, where it is today, and challenged to make a positive personal impact on the future of our game. The NFL and its clubs are committed to providing players with the best resources to succeed both on and off the field.”
The symposium has an interesting set of current and former players taking part. Adam Jones, Terrell Owens and Michael Vick are among the participants who can offer some insight to the league’s rookies about the potential problems that they might experience on the professional level. Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Carl Eller will also speak to the rookies during the event.