TITLETOWN (NBC 26) — Football fans and Draft-goers can meet current and former athletes at a local hotel during the NFL Draft.
- The Legacy Hotel, near Lambeau Field, is hosting what it calls the Ultimate VIP Experience during the Draft, featuring appearances from the likes of former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees
- Proceeds will benefit Children's Wisconsin
- We spoke with current Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine about his memories of when he was drafted, and his Draft tour
- Valentine will visit the Legacy, and Ashwaubenon's DIRT Juicery on April 25, where he'll make a special drink and interact with fans, according to Envision Partners
- Read on to see why Valentine and former Packers star Sean Jones say they are returning to Titletown for the Draft
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details and quotes added for web)
The stars will shine bright at the 2025 NFL Draft, including here at the Legacy Hotel. We talked to a current Packers player and a former Packers player, both of whom will be here, about what excites them about the festivities next week.
Watch Titletown neighborhood reporter Karl Winter's full story here:
Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine remembers his draft day two years ago well.
"[I] waited a little longer than I thought I was going to," Valentine said. "But you know, everything happens for a reason."
A seventh-round pick, Valentine plays with a chip on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't say I remember everybody who was drafted before me," he said. "Don't get it twisted, though, like, I have everybody's name in my phone, 100%, so I definitely — I'll look through that as motivation."
But Valentine still has fond memories about hearing his name called.
"At the end of the day, no matter where I was drafted at, I know what type of player I am," he said.
Now, he's preparing to come to the Draft in person for the first time, something he's not contractually obligated to do. Valentine hopes to interact with fans all week, saying he's excited for:
"Seeing around people in general. It's a good time in Green Bay, Wisconsin — so why not?"
Valentine is one of several Packers, past and present, coming to celebrate and sign autographs at the Legacy, just steps from the Draft campus, next week.
Another — Super Bowl XXXI champion Sean Jones.
"The combination of the great players that have come before me and will come after me, and then the great community, which is Green Bay, along with everybody else that just figures it out — this is what is going to make this such a great event," Jones said.
The former green and gold defensive end has also represented athletes as an agent, and says Draft day can be both nerve-wracking and rewarding for prospects.
"You just have to manage expectations," Jones said. "And at the end of the day, you've lived for this moment your entire life. A lot of these kids started playing when they were five and six years old, and many of them promised Mom and Dad they were going to buy their first house, and all these other things."
Jones and Valentine will be joined by the likes of former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and others, as part of the Legacy's $250 VIP Experience, where the hotel says anyone can rub shoulders with celebrity.
"We want everyone to enjoy what's going on here," Legacy minority owner Dennis Doucette said. "It's going to be a very active environment. A lot of a lot of players and celebrities at the hotel, and the public is welcome."
Doucette said the children's hospital is the perfect place for the money from the VIP tickets to go.
"Children's [Wisconsin] is a good friend of the hotel, and it's a very good cause," he said. "And we felt that it was a cause that had a very broad outreach, and the NFL players have really embraced it."
With the days ticking down, Doucette is ready to get the show started.
"We're feeling terrific," he said. "It's going to be a really, really fun event next week."
The Legacy will kick off its Daft festivities with a set by DJay Mando on a temporary stage between the hotel and Badger State Brewing on Wednesday, April 23.
The full list of celebrities that will be at the Legacy next week is available here.
