The second half of the NFL Rookie Symposium kicked off on Wednesday when the AFC rookies arrived for their four-day stay at the league’s orientation for new players.
Rookies from the NFC got the first crack at listening to speeches from the likes of Michael Vick and Chris Herren, the former NBA player whose career went up in smoke thanks to drug addiction. They closed their stay in Northeast Ohio with a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, a field trip that the NFL wants future rookies to take as well. That means doing future symposiums in the same neck of the woods, something NFL V.P. of player engagement Troy Vincent would like to see happen.
“This is our objective,” Vincent said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I don’t see any reason why we won’t be back. Logistically, it makes all the sense in the world.”
Past symposiums have been in Florida, California and Virginia, but the league thinks the ability to visit the Hall is essential to the mission of educating rookies about the history and traditions of the league. Since that probably won’t happen if the symposium is held anywhere else, it’s a good bet that the rookies will be coming to the area for years to come.