Promoting the NFL is More Important then Practice

The NFL is barring players from participating in minicamps? This is a really odd story. Rookie 2nd round pick RB Brandon Jackson is barred by the NFL from attending the Packers minicamp this weekend because he was invited to the 2007 Reebok NFL Rookie Premier. He is paid extra for attending, but he can't decline the invitation. If he doesn't go, then he has to stay home as a punishment. Under no circumstances can he go to Green Bay this weekend.

Missing the minicamp really shouldn't be a big deal for Jackson. He attended the Packers inaugural rookie minicamp earlier this month, so he will go into training camp with as much of a head start as any Packer rookie had in previous seasons. There are a number of rookies who can't attend the entire minicamp while their schools are still in session, like Buffalo rookie RB Marshawn Lynch. The real important thing is that Jackson is signed before training camp and doesn't miss any of it.