Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza skipped Indiana’s visit to the White House so that he could focus on his current job. He didn’t skip last weekend’s NFLPA Rookie Premiere.
It sounds like he wanted to.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you,” Mendoza told Gilbert Manzano of SI.com (via Chris Franklin of NJ.com). “I’d rather be practicing right now and I was really upset about actually having to miss practice for this. Although it’s great. . . . It’s still been a great moment to where it was mandatory I be here. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself and feel wishy-washy.”
And so Mendoza did what he always seems to do — he fully embraced the situation he was in.
“I’m going to have a smile on my face and make the most of that present moment,” Mendoza said. “Live and learn all the [NFLPA] benefits, make all the connections with different mentors here, let me make sure I can maximize my time to be able to create a positive impact and learn about my situation and surroundings. So those are all things that I really benefited from being here.”
Mendoza apparently didn’t miss any of the team’s formal OTA sessions for the NFLPA event, which ran from Friday, May 14, through Sunday, May 17. The first OTA happened on Monday, May 18.
The NFLPA Rookie Premiere isn’t technically mandatory for the players. But the teams are required under the CBA to allow them to attend. Per Article 21, Section 7: “Invited Rookies will be permitted by their respective Clubs to attend the NFL Players Rookie Premiere provided that: (i) such event is scheduled during the month of May; (ii) such event encompasses a maximum of four consecutive days, including both a Saturday and a Sunday; and (iii) the NFLPA provides the NFL with the dates for the next Rookie Premiere not later than February 1 of each year.”
Raiders fans should be happy that Mendoza is all in. Although there’s no guarantee that he’ll become the team’s much-needed, year-to-year franchise quarterback, he’s committed to doing everything in his power to get there.
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