Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu said last week's NFL Rookie Symposium, where the league's first-year players got a crash course into what life is like as a professional athlete, was a worthwhile experience, Darren Urban of Azcardinals.com reports. Mathieu had heard many of the speeches before, even talked to many of the same people long before his fellow draft class mates sat down to hear their stories. Yet the Cardinals’ third-round pick, in Aurora, Ohio, last week as part of the NFL’s annual Rookie Symposium, embraced the message being delivered. “I didn’t look at it redundant, I looked at it as more people trying to help me,†Mathieu said. “My process is a bit different than the rest of the rookies there. For me, it was an experience I needed.†The speakers who had made mistakes were there to talk about how they had learned. That makes sense to Mathieu, who is trying to build his own redemption story. “I try not to put those negative thoughts in my head, that I’d be out of the league in three years,†Mathieu said. “(Former Pro Bowl safety) Brian Dawkins and Aeneas Williams said it best: Stop saying you’re going to go broke, stop saying you’re going to be out of the league, start speaking things into existence. Positive things.†“For me, (the Symposium) was real educational, inspiring and one of those reality checks,†Mathieu said, “and I’ve had a few of those since I’ve become an Arizona Cardinal.†Source: The Redzone
