NFL Lockout: Pictures from the NFLPA "Business of Football" Event

The incoming NFL rookies took time this week during their "Business of Football" symposium to spend an afternoon hanging out with the boys and girls from local chapters of the YMCA

Since the NFL lockout has been a story filled with so much negativity and finger pointing, it was extremely refreshing to talk to and see young men focused on giving back and remaining connected to a place in their lives that wasn't so long ago.

Most of the top rookies were there, including Greg Little—seen here acting as the opening M.C. for the event—Cam Newton, Terrell Pryor, Ryan Kerrigan, Anthony Castonzo, and more. 

All photos were taken by Kevin Koski of the NFLPA.

Making Friends

In the new NFL, rivals learn to compete on the field, and still be cordial off of it.

J.J. Watt and Blaine Gabbert plan to see a whole lot of each other in the upcoming years. Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans, and Gabbert, a quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, will meet at least twice a season while they play for those teams.

If Watt has anything to say about it, those meetings will be very up close and personal.

Yet, the two could not be better buds off-the-field and have formed a fast friendship with each other, Pittsburgh Steelers DE, Cam Heyward and Minnesota Vikings QB, Christian Ponder. They call themselves the "Gatorade Gang."

One of the best moments from the event was during an interview with Ponder, when Watt and Gabbert did all they could do to keep him off-rhythm and laughing hysterically.

After the event, the gang went tarpon fishing. More pictures like this can be found on their respective Twitter accounts.

Being a Mentor

While most of the rookies spent the entire event running a station, Cam Newton was a little more hands on, running drills with the kids and making sure he took plenty of pictures and high-fived everyone in sight.

A cynical reporter could probably paint Newton as immature and one or two of his antics probably did come off a childish.

When hanging out with a bunch of children, what could be more appropriate!

Much has been made of Cam Newton being an entertainer and an icon, but on one afternoon in Bradenton, FL, he was just a friend to a lot of kids.

Giving Back

Terrelle Pryor isn't technically an NFL rookie, yet.

He's entered his name into consideration for the NFL Supplemental Draft, which hasn't been held yet. Different accounts have put his draft stock in the 3rd-5th round range or later.

While the common theme of late has been predicated on all Pryor took while at Ohio State, this day was about giving back.

A convenient image rehab?

Maybe.

Does any of that matter to this little girl or the hundreds other that got to hang out with one of the most popular names in recent college football history?

Not one bit.

Helping out

Many of the drills, and the event itself, were run by the staff at IMG.

Players got to help out, teaching the older kids proper form and running stopwatches (as Ryan Kerrigan is here.)

Hanging out

More importantly, the players got to hang out and have fun.

Here, all six feet-seven inches of Ryan Mallet (QB Patriots) is straining to be on the same level as the four feet of this local Florida boy.

Juking Mallett isn't exactly a Heisman-worthy feat, but methinks he let this kid win.

The Kids

When it boils down, this event featured a bunch of future NFL players, but it was clearly about the kids.

Anthony Castonzo (OL Colts) said it best:

"Just as we look at the older guys in the NFL, these kids look up to us and might model how they act after us, we gotta carry ourselves the right way."

Michael Schottey is an on-call editor for the Bleacher Report College Writing Internship, as well as an NFL Featured Columnist and an NFL Labor/Draft Expert. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, he has professionally covered the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, as well as NFL events like the Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl. Follow him on  Twitter.