Monday afternoon provided a glimpse into the other side of being a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Former Seahawks Walter Jones, Marcus Trufant, Jordan Babineaux and Bryce Fisher sat at the front of the auditorium at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, fielding questions from Seattle’s rookies about handling some of the off-field issues associated with being an NFL player.
Monday was the first day of the Seahawks’ three-day Rookie Transition Program, which is mandated by the NFL. The program used to be administered at the league level, with all of the NFL’s rookies converging on Canton, Ohio, for a three-day symposium. However, this year the league decided to have the teams administer the programs themselves, and the Seahawks allowed the media to sit in on one of the sessions Monday.
Monday’s session included a thundering account of Seahawks history told by former stalwart Seahawks public relations man Gary Wright. That was followed by the panel discussion with Jones, Trufant, Babineaux and Fisher. The panel discussion was the most revealing part of the day.
The former players had many words of advice, including the importance of staying in shape during he upcoming six-week break, as well as learning the playbook. But their most important advice was in dealing with off-field issues. Things that stood out included being smart with their money, as well as learning how to say no to their fiends and family.
While the league-wide program is three days, the Seahawks have actually conducted classes for its rookies ever since rookie training camp in early May, with coach Pete Carroll saying during his introduction that the team already held 14 or 15 classes with the rookies on such subjects.
Look for a more thorough account of the day in Tuesday’s paper.
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