The NFL lockout is officially screwing things up.
The Rookie Symposium, which is held every summer as a way to introduce players to life in the NFL, has been canceled, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's believed to be the first event on the calendar wiped out due to the lockout.
The Rookie Symposium is a fairly important event depending on how each player responds to what goes on there. It's meant to teach you about handling your new wealth, as well as your fame, and other aspects of being a rich and famous 22-year old athlete.
But, thanks to the lockout, it's not happening. Unless we have some surprising news soon, it appears the lockout is en route to blowing through the rest of the offseason.
Don't sleep on the importance of these OTAs and even the rookie minicamp that the Kansas City Chiefs players have been missing. Chiefs S Eric Berry talked with Nick Wright on 610 Sports last week and noted how important the offseason workouts were for him as a rookie.
"I improved so much not just being on the field but I got a head start with the playbook before we even got to camp," Berry said on What's Wright. "When we got to camp, we hit the ground running. I already knew about most of the checks, what I needed to do in certain situations and what calls to make because of that rookie camp and the OTAs.
"It was really like a Chiefs football one-on-one class where you could get the basics of what's the procdedure, how we get ready for practice, the basic schedule and what we need to do. I think it was a big help. It was a small thing but I think it really helped so I could get ready for training camp."
And because of that, as Berry concludes, the incoming rookie class is at a disadvantage in the 2011 season...if we have a 2011 season.