Ex-NBA player Chris Herren delivers sobering message at NFL rookie symposium

June 25--BEREA, Ohio -- The room was silent, and it stayed that way for as long as Chris Herren had the microphone.

For the second straight year, Herren, a former NBA player whose basketball career was nearly destroyed by drug addiction, was a feature speaker at the NFL's rookie symposium in Aurora, Ohio, and the message he imparted on all eight members of the Lions' 2014 draft class was a powerful one.

Heroin. Cocaine. Pills. Herren detailed the demons he faced while playing college basketball, in the NBA and professionally overseas for a class of NFC rookies -- AFC rookies will take part in the symposium today-Saturday -- who might one day be tempted by the same things.

He nearly squandered his family. He lost his sense of being. And he's sober now, trying to keep others from following his path.

"Everyone thinks I'm not going to be that guy, that's not going to be me," Lions sixth-round pick TJ Jones said. "And you take all these meetings and seminars for granted and he was like us. That could have been any one of us -- that could be any one of us in the future. Hopefully not, but that makes it a reality that even if you think it's not you, you never know what your future holds."

Jones and the rest of the Lions' drafted rookies spent the last three days in central Ohio wading through workshops, listening to guest speakers and talking in small groups about everything that comes attached to their new lives in the NFL.

Former Lions defensive end Luther Elliss, whose tale of financial woe has been well documented over the years, served as a transition coach at the event, which players took a brief break from Tuesday to host a Play 60 clinic for area youth.

"This has been really, really helpful, something that I feel like every rookie needs to hear because at the end of the day we haven't experienced nothing like what they have experienced before," said Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson, a fourth-round pick. "So it's really helpful for me, especially when it comes to what a rookie has to do during the year. The things that he has to take care of as far as the off the field stuff, your finance stuff, how to get through that first rookie wall when you eventually -- 'cause every rookie's going to hit that rookie wall and it's all about bouncing off that rookie wall and keep pushing forward."

For Lions rookies, this week's symposium is an extension of the eight-week rookie success program the team puts its draft picks through annually in order to help them transition to the NFL.

They cover topics like time management, substance abuse and financial planning all the way down to what to say and avoid on social media.

Last week, before leaving for Ohio, ex-Lions Elliss, Ron Rice, Eddie Murray and others joined the rookies for a dinner and to answer any questions they had about being -- and staying -- in the league.

"It's on-the-job training," said Lions senior director of player development Galen Duncan. "Usually when you're hired in the real world you're kind of just thrust into it. You have a three-day orientation and you're out here. Well, for the last month we've been orientating them and this is kind of like their test. Coming here is an opportunity for them to test their mettle with the questions that are going to be asked and it's really an extensive on-the-job training for these guys."

Duncan, in his ninth season with the Lions, said this year's rookie class is the best, most attentive group he's dealt with as part of the program, which isn't a surprise considering the organization has made an effort to take fewer character risks since its four of the five members of its ill-fated 2011 draft class were arrested, suspended or both.

"My other classes will probably kill me on that one, but hey, proof is in the pudding," Duncan said. "These guys are pretty doggone good. If people could stand out here and watch this, they would be very impressed with them not only as football players but also as gentlemen."

While Herren's presentation stood out to all the Lions' draft picks -- "I've never heard anything like that in my life. I was just grateful and so appreciative that I could hear a message like that. It was unbelievable," second-round pick Kyle Van Noy said -- he wasn't the only speaker who left an impression.

First-round pick Eric Ebron said he was excited to see his former North Carolina teammate, Gio Bernard, at one session earlier this week. Lawson said the career-development seminars, where he learned more about NFL programs for graduate school and life after football, had the biggest impact on him. And fifth-round pick Caraun Reid said Herren's message beyond avoiding drugs, about being comfortable with who you are, was most his biggest takeaway from the week.

"You want to live, you want to play in the league as long as possible, but you want to make sure that you leave a lasting impact and you work hard and that you make this worthwhile," Reid said. "The money that you make now you want it to last forever and you want it to leave on to your family. So there's a couple messages, just that time is precious and you never know when you're going to get it back and you can't get it back so just to make the most of everything."

Contact Dave Birkett: [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett .

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