The entire Tennessee Titans football team and coaching staff spent this morning at the MNPD’s Academy learning a bit about how officers are trained and gun safety. It may well have been the first field trip of its kind by a full NFL team to its local police department.
Chief Steve Anderson welcomed the four busloads of Titans at 9:30 a.m. The team split into groups of 30 and rotated among three stations that brought them into a shoot/don’t shoot simulator that presented players with a variety of dangerous scenarios that a police officer could encounter. They were also exposed to real pistols and rifles on two gun ranges.
Titans General Manager Jon Robinson approached the police department earlier this month with an idea to surprise the players on the last day of minicamp with a visit to the MNPD Academy.
“The interaction between Titans players and our officers was exceptional,” Chief Anderson said. “The conversations were relaxed and it was clear that both groups had a good time being with each other. This was an outstanding idea by Jon Robinson and I am grateful that he brought it to us.”
The team boarded their buses at 12:30 p.m. for the trip back to St. Thomas Sports Park.