Every year the NFL has
a rookie symposium where
newcomers are warned of offthe-
field dangers and how to
avoid putting themselves in
compromising situations.
The NFL describes the
symposium as “an orientation
for all drafted rookies based
on four core values of the
league — responsibility to
team, respect, integrity and
resilience.” The symposium
includes presentations, videos and
workshops on player health safety,
decision making, mental health,
substance abuse, finance, building
a winning culture and bystander
intervention.”
NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter
was one of the speakers at the
symposium a year ago, but the
advice he imparted wasn’t about
how to avoid trouble. It was more
about protecting yourself when
something goes wrong.
“All you guys aren’t going to
do the right stuff,” Carter said. “I
need to teach to you how to get
around all of this stuff too. If you
have a crew, one of them fools
need to know that they’re going
to jail. I know a lot of you aren’t
going to drink, I know a lot of you
aren’t going to use drugs, but still
get yourself a fall guy.”
Amazingly, the video has taken
a year to become newsworthy.
That’s because ESPN did a profile
piece on former San Francisco
49eers player Chris Borland, who
retired in March after one season
citing long-term concerns about
his safety and mental health.
In the story, Borland said
during the symposium that
a former player — whom he
declined to name — told the
rookies to find a “fall guy.”
“I was just sitting there
thinking, ‘Should I walk out? What
am I supposed to do?’ ” Borland
said.
Carter apologized Sunday
through Twitter.
“Seeing that video has made
me realize how wrong I was,”
he said. “I was brought there
to educate young people and
instead I gave them very bad
advice. Every person should take
responsibility for his own actions.
I’m sorry and I truly regret what I
said that day.”
Fake college
Imagine taking a football
recruiting visit to a school that
doesn’t exist.
That’s what happened recently
when a man named Willie
Williamson invited three high
school football players in Virginia
to tour Redemption Christian
College in Virginia Beach.
“We were under the
impression that it was this big
thing,” Bernard Walker said. “He
made it seem like, you know, the
college is really known in the
area: We get a lot of people there,
a lot of support from churches,
and everything like that.
“So we came out here and this
is what it was, we came to his
house.”
When Walker and his friends
Keishay Harvey and Robert
Brown asked to see the school,
Williamson told them they were
already at it. That’s because
Redemption Christian College is
an online college.
Williamson told Hampton
Roads TV station WVEC that
there is a football program at the
school’s sister school, Century
International College.
Web heads
From the site fark.com:
m “Chicago Bears unveil George
Halas statue, which is immediately
signed to help out the Bears secondary.”
m “Floyd Mayweather looks around
for something to spend $5 million
on and finds another rare sports
car. How rare?