By Mo Kelly
Seattle Seahawks Senior Director of Player Engagement
Following the draft in April, we at the Seahawks were all about the “big picture.” But not in the way you think. This was all about the parents of our drafted rookies.
For the first time ever, we hosted a weekend-long parent-focused event surrounding rookie minicamp in May and called it the “Big Picture.” We coined the term because we wanted to give parents a full glimpse into life in the NFL — to offer them insight into their sons’ new lives. It was our way of educating not only our newest players, but also their parents.
After the draft, we invited all the parents of the drafted rookies to Seattle for a crash course in their sons’ new lives. We educate all the players, so why not the parents too?
Their two-day stay in Seattle started by attending our “Rookie Spotlight” event, a high-energy showcase of our first-year players in front of the organization’s corporate guests. Parents loved being able to see the energy in the room and interacting with staff and parents of other rookies. Then the next day, parents had breakfast at the facility, met with Head Coach Pete Carroll, toured the facility, watched their son’s first practice as a Seahawk and then sat down for a Player Engagement presentation that I hosted. The 2.5-hour talk included information on everything from the draft process, injuries, career development, financial education, and all of the other things I cover in Player Engagement. It was everything we share with the players, so it made sense to educate the parents on it too. Then they had dinner, and they departed the next morning. It was a jam-packed but very informative weekend.
We’ve learned that parents can be either a big distraction or a big assistance and buffer in their son’s life, so we figured it would be best to give the parents the “Big Picture” view of their sons’ new life and career in the NFL. It was a resounding success in every sense of the word.