NFL Keeps Draft Pick From Attending Camp During Rookie Event

Brandon Jackson Not Allowed To Attend Packers Minicamp During Rookie Event

Gary Wichard, agent for Packers draft pick RB Brandon Jackson, said that Jackson was barred by the NFL Management Council from the team’s minicamp this weekend because he is expected to attend the 2007 Reebok NFL Rookie Premiere, “to start working on his endorsement deals and player cards,” according to Lori Nickel of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The event is the first time players are photographed by trading card companies in their official team gear. Jackson initially declined the invite in order to attend minicamp, but the league said that he still could not be at the team’s facility. Wichard: “They literally locked him out of camp. The team is not allowed to have him.” Nickel notes the event’s five sponsors — Topps, EA Sports, Press Pass, Upper Deck and Reebok — “pay big licensing fees to the NFL.” Wichard: “It has nothing to do with [Jackson] trying to make an impact. All those licensees have a lot of money tied up and they want to make sure they have [him] in their first rookie card deck” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/18).