NFL sending its rookies early season's greed-ing

[woodbuck27]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=608353

NFL sending its rookies early season's greed-ing

Posted: May 21, 2007

Bob Wolfley

Hypocrisy and greed sometimes appear to be the operating principles of professional sports.

Those two again checked into National Football League huddle a few days ago in the case of Green Bay Packers rookie running back Brandon Jackson and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

Both of them were forbidden from attending their teams' minicamps last weekend. Both had been invited to something called the Reebok NFL Players Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles to pose for trading-card pictures.

For $12,000 each, the players were expected to go to Los Angeles to have their pictures taken with about 30 other NFL rookies. But they could not join their teams' minicamps.

What on earth could be more important to a new player like Jackson, who wanted to attend the Packers' minicamp, than getting in mandatory practice time?

Have you ever heard of a player in good standing with his team being barred from attending a practice by the ruling body of the league?

Tony Dungy, the coach of the defending champion Indianapolis Colts, is not one usually given to criticizing league policies.

But he made an exception in this case.

"It's a bad message," Dungy told the Indianapolis Star, referring to the decision to keep a player from his minicamp.

"I'm a little concerned that you try to talk about team play, you talk about being unified as a group, then we say we're going to take 35 individuals and treat them special."

The money card trumps both the practice card and the team cards.


Call SportsDay at (414) 223-5531 or send e-mail to bwolfley@journalsentinel.com

[oregonpackfan]

Tony Dungy makes a very strong point when he says, "It's a bad message," Dungy told the Indianapolis Star, referring to the decision to keep a player from his minicamp.

"I'm a little concerned that you try to talk about team play, you talk about being unified as a group, then we say we're going to take 35 individuals and treat them special."

Being away from the teams' minicamps kept those guys from bonding with their new teams as well as beginning to learn the new systems.

[swede]

The NFL is a pretty good problem-solving organization. If they like this rookie promotion they'll need to get a permanent date set up at an optimum time for them and the teams. Green Bay and the other teams will need to take this event seriously and avoid scheduling mandatory training activities on the same weekend.

It'll be fixed by next year.

[packinpatland]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

[swede]

What was the stick being used by the league in bullying players like Brandon Jackson to stay away from mini-camp?

Would he simply lose the $12,000? Would they fine him? Suspend him for 4 games?

[oregonpackfan]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

[MJZiggy]

The NFL is a pretty good problem-solving organization. If they like this rookie promotion they'll need to get a permanent date set up at an optimum time for them and the teams. Green Bay and the other teams will need to take this event seriously and avoid scheduling mandatory training activities on the same weekend.

It'll be fixed by next year.

It really was a stupid miscommunication. If the league wanted the rookies there, then they really needed to notify the teams ahead of time that this would be a mandatory thing. I think that both the Packers and Colts should get extra minicamps out of this.

[packinpatland]

The NFL is a pretty good problem-solving organization. If they like this rookie promotion they'll need to get a permanent date set up at an optimum time for them and the teams. Green Bay and the other teams will need to take this event seriously and avoid scheduling mandatory training activities on the same weekend.

It'll be fixed by next year.

It really was a stupid miscommunication. If the league wanted the rookies there, then they really needed to notify the teams ahead of time that this would be a mandatory thing. I think that both the Packers and Colts should get extra minicamps out of this.

That might be like telling the kids in June 'we added another week of school!', some might not be thrilled.

[BallHawk]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

I think he'd use stronger words then that.

Man, can you imagine if Vince was around today. Put it this way, if I was Michael Vick, I'd pray Vince doesn't come knocking on my door.

[Rastak]

The NFL is a pretty good problem-solving organization. If they like this rookie promotion they'll need to get a permanent date set up at an optimum time for them and the teams. Green Bay and the other teams will need to take this event seriously and avoid scheduling mandatory training activities on the same weekend.

It'll be fixed by next year.

It really was a stupid miscommunication. If the league wanted the rookies there, then they really needed to notify the teams ahead of time that this would be a mandatory thing. I think that both the Packers and Colts should get extra minicamps out of this.

It was scheduled already, hardly a miscommunication. More like a miscalcualation since nobody forced either team to schedule their mini-camp for THAT weekend. I thought I read a couple teams changed theirs once they realized they screwed up. I think the Steelers moved to mid week to avoid the conflict if I recall correctly.

[Rastak]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

I think he'd use stronger words then that.

Man, can you imagine if Vince was around today. Put it this way, if I was Michael Vick, I'd pray Vince doesn't come knocking on my door.

I'm guessing his teams would look alot like Tom Coughlins.....

[BallHawk]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

I think he'd use stronger words then that.

Man, can you imagine if Vince was around today. Put it this way, if I was Michael Vick, I'd pray Vince doesn't come knocking on my door.

I'm guessing his teams would look alot like Tom Coughlins.....

Vince's teams actually win Super Bowl's, though.

[Rastak]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

I think he'd use stronger words then that.

Man, can you imagine if Vince was around today. Put it this way, if I was Michael Vick, I'd pray Vince doesn't come knocking on my door.

I'm guessing his teams would look alot like Tom Coughlins.....

Vince's teams actually win Super Bowl's, though.

Not in the 2000's I'm thinking. I ain't knocking the legend, only pointing out that sort of thing most likely wouldn't fly.

[the_idle_threat]

Wouldn't Vince just love today's NFL?

His infamous quote, "What the hell is going on out there?" comes to mind.

I think he'd use stronger words then that.

Man, can you imagine if Vince was around today. Put it this way, if I was Michael Vick, I'd pray Vince doesn't come knocking on my door.

Vick would sic the dogs on ol' Vince ...

[4and12to12and4]

What a joke. I can't believe these guys weren't permitted to at least make their own choice in the matter, or for that matter, the GM of the players. Minicamps are almost exclusively for ROOKIES. This is a joke, and makes the NFL look really bad. Every day in minicamp is important for rookies in their learning stage, I totally disagree with this whole thing. What a joke.