The NFL Rookie Symposium is designed to help new players assimilate into the National Football League with an understanding of their responsibilities and what will be expected of them. It even included a sex ed portion with Sandra “Ms. Mac” McDonald. For some reason 22 year old newly minted millionaire celebrities might have a hard time staying on the staying out of trouble. Go figure.

The final speaker this year was former NFL wide receiver, current ESPN analyst and former bad decision maker in his own right Cris Carter and his speech is getting some attention now. Carter’s speech came off like a graduation guest of honor speech/scared straight lecture. I didn’t mind it though because some of these players are knuckleheads so it seems like they need it. Really what Carter said could be considered one to grow on for anybody, particularly the young folks. He seemed like he really meant what he said but who knows what good it will do based on the actions of players after past symposium. Oh yeah, one of the players falls asleep during the speech and Cris Carter flips on him, makes him an example and says some other rude shit. Maybe that’s why there’s no unedited video. Good stuff.

So what struck me about this speech was the part when he says, ” But also I was here when Michael Vick was here. And sat up here and talked with Plaxico Burress. And Pac Man was sitting right there too. I’ve seen all these kids come into the National Football League. Every one of them, I tried to tell em the truth. And every one of them looked at me and said, ‘You know something Cris, it ain’t gonna be me. It ain’t gonna happen to me… This is your time.”

Shortly after that he goes back into them being commodities, which I wasn’t that into.

Afterward ESPN correspondent and fellow symposium speaker Steve Wyche wrote: “On that note, Carter warned the rookies that the veteran players they will try to replace are competing for mortgages, car notes and their families. So when training camp arrives, the rookies will face competition like they’ve never experienced. But Carter praised the rookies for being a talented group and told them it’s their job to take someone’s job – just as it will be for next year’s rookie to take their jobs.

The rookies were hit with a lot of stuff, and retaining all of it will be hard to do…But some guys will think they’re above it all and end up in the headlines for the wrong reasons at some point and perhaps suspended or out of the league.

All I can say is that none of these guys will have anyone to blame but themselves. With everything they’ve been afforded and all the resources at their disposal, there are no excuses.” ~blogs.nfl.com

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