The rookies are coming

 

All NFL rookies will visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as an expanded element of their annual orientation program, it was announced today. Rookies will learn about the NFL’s history and heritage, focusing on the achievements of NFL greats who paved the way for today’s players.

Oakland's first round draft choice Darren McFadden will be joined by the rest of the Raiders rookies at the Hall of Fame on May 28th.

Each team’s tour will be headed by its player development director and will include speakers representing former NFL players, Pro Football Hall of Fame personnel and others. In fact, several members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame have already agreed to travel to Canton to be on hand to enhance the experience for the rookies.

The idea was inspired by 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin in a conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last August in Canton.

NFL Player Development and the Pro Football Hall of Fame are coordinating the visits to Canton, which will take place from May 28-June 23. This experience will help prepare rookies for their own careers while stressing the importance of their role as NFL players.

“Some of the most valuable lessons for our young men can be learned from those who played before them,” said NFL Vice President of Player and Employee Development Mike Haynes, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1997. “The rookie orientation activities at the Pro Football Hall of Fame are a great way to provide a look at the rich history and tradition of our game.”

The trips to Canton are part of several rookie orientation initiatives designed to ease new players’ transition to the NFL. Draftees also will attend the annual Rookie Symposium in San Diego, California, from June 29-July 2, and rookies at 19 teams will participate in the first NFL Player Brand University, learning how the choices they make in business and in the community shape their overall image.

Following is a schedule of NFL rookie orientation visits to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Team(s)	Date
Oakland	May 28
Arizona, Denver, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay	May 30
Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England	May 31
Pittsburgh	June 2
Carolina, Chicago, Detroit	June 6
St. Louis, Tennessee	June 7
Atlanta, Miami	June 9
New York Jets	June 11
Dallas, Green Bay, Philadelphia	June 13
San Diego	June 14
Kansas City	June 16
Cleveland, Houston, New Orleans, New York Giants	June 18
Seattle	June 19
San Francisco, Minnesota	June 23
Indianapolis, Washington	Hall of Fame weekend