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Here’s What NFL Rookies Really Need To Hear

By Mike Pendleton

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Much has been made over the last few days about comments made by Hall Of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, when he spoke to rookies last year and told them to have a “fall guy” if legal trouble were to arise. In case you missed it, here is what Carter had to say when speaking at the NFL’s Rookie Symposium in 2014.

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"“In case y’all not going to decide to do the right thing, if y’all got a crew, you’ve got to have a fall guy in the crew,”“I let my homeboys know, y’all want to keep rolling like this, then I need to know who gonna be the fall guy, who’s going to be driving. Y’all not going to all do the right stuff now. So I’ve got to teach you how to get around all this stuff, too. If you’re going to have a crew, one of them fools got to know he going to jail. We’ll get him out.”"

To continue off his awful advice, Carter went on to mock the fact that every rookie would follow all the rules and never get in trouble.

"“I know none of y’all going to never drink late, I know none of y’all going to never use no drugs or anything, all of y’all going to go to bible study,” Carter said in a sarcastic tone. “I realize that – but still get you a fall guy. If you’re going to have a crew, make sure they understand, can’t nothing happen to you. Your name can’t be in lights, under no circumstances. You all understand that?”"

Besides making a mockery of the entire situation, Carter made a joke out of himself and set up NFL rookies with awful advice. Instead of harping and looking back on the troubles that Carter had during his playing days, here are some things that should have been said to the rookies:

  1. “Just because they’re older than you doesn’t mean they’re always wiser”– Not every veteran on your team is there to help you. You’re there for yourself and your family, not everyone will look out for your best interest even if they are your teammate.
  2. “The only person who can hurt you, is you”-Sure, not every player has friends or even family that they can trust, but every player should know what could possibly hurt them. It shouldn’t need to be said that these players need to keep their nose clean.
  3. “Every move you make is under a magnifying glass”- If it does need to be reiterated that these players need to keep their nose clean, then let it be known that everything will get out there. It doesn’t matter if you’re the multi-million dollar franchise guy or the 53rd man on the roster, if you get yourself in trouble, it will get out there and if it does get out, good luck finding your next home in the league.

The symposium is a great way to bring young talent into the league and prepare them for a lifestyle that only a minority of the population can handle, but it shouldn’t be mocked. Playing in the NFL is a privilege and when the guidance is taken for granted or the opportunity, that’s when we see young talented players throw it all away.

Cris Carter’s advice wasn’t great but the truth is, there’s some honesty to what he said for some guys who will never get it right.

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