TAMPA, Fla. -- On a Wednesday morning this summer, as some veteran teammates jetted off to exotic vacations, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookies quietly filed into a small classroom. The gathering had little do to with actual football and everything to do with what will now be expected of them as professionals on and off the field. It's the Buccaneer Rookie Academy, the Bucs’ version of the NFL rookie transition program.
"It's important we put a system in place that helps them navigate life and the professional world appropriately," Bucs director of player engagement Duke Preston said.