Patriots Rookies Visit Hall of Fame

The New England Patriots rookies visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame recently.  This trip was a part of the NFL’s “send all the rookies to the Hall of Fame” program that they started this year - at the advice of Michael Irvin.  Irvin, a recent inductee to the Hall, himself, got the idea while walking the halls in Canton before his induction ceremony.  Irvin then got the epiphany that if the rookies toured the facility before entering their first season, perhaps it would give them more respect for the game.  In this way, Irvin thought it might keep these players out of trouble.

This is an amazing idea, and everyone involved knows it.  Word is Michael Irvin has the memo circulated throughout the league crediting him with this idea framed and hanging on one of the walls in his home.  There is talk of moving the entire NFL rookie symposium to Canton as early as next season.  ESPN did a Sportscenter feature on this story that ran on Sports Center for days.  I hope this has a lasting effect on the rookies who took part, because if visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame doesn’t give you a good respect for the game, then absolutely nothing will.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.