April 14--With the NFL draft just over two weeks away, a league representative and several city executives met the media Tuesday afternoon in Chicago to discuss and unveil plans for the event.
Peter O'Reilly, NFL senior vice president of events; Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago; Kara Bachman, executive director, Chicago Sports Commission; Brett Batterson, executive director of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and Lesley Slavic, vice president, government relations and university outreach for Roosevelt University were among those sharing the plans for the April 30-May 2 draft.
"After 51 years, to move out of New York and to Chicago ... this feels like the right place to make that initial move because of the way the city has embraced it ... the opportunity to re-imagine what the draft is," O'Reilly said.
The draft will be conducted in the Auditorium Theatre, but the draft week will include numerous free outdoor activities for fans in Grant Park such as football clinics at the NFL Play 60 Draft Football Festival (April 29-May 2). The clinics will be attended by NFL draft prospects, as well as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
"Not just an in-theatre experience, but a massive free-fan festival that allows so many more fans and different fans to experience the draft ... this is a special move and something we couldn't be more excited about," O'Reilly said.
Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus will announce one of the Bears' draft picks, O'Reilly said.
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