Inside Michael Rubin's Inspiring Weekend with NFL Rookies – Including Advice from Tom Brady and JAY-Z

With the start of a new NFL season approaching, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin hosted the league's rookies for an inspiring weekend in Los Angeles.

On Friday, May 17, Rubin, 51, invited the NFL newcomers and their families to the Intercontinental Hotel as part of the NFLPA Rookie Premiere weekend, where he surprised them with an unveiling of their official jerseys.

The evening included speeches from Rubin, NFL Players Inc. president Matt Curtin and former players Michael Vick and Ryan Clark. It concluded with a special performance by Quavo in front of the rookies' jerseys.

"I just want them to enjoy the evening with their families," Rubin tells PEOPLE of the event. "Here they are getting their NFL official jersey for the first time and I want them to just feel the moment, realize what they've accomplished, how special it is, and then just go to work and go figure out how to win Super Bowls, each and every one of them."

For Rubin, the jersey is a symbol of the rookies' hard work. "I think in a lot of ways, it's the realization of their dreams. They grew up fighting hard to do the thing that they love, and now here they are getting their jersey in the NFL from their team. I mean, that's a special moment," the CEO and founder says.

Upon seeing his NFL jersey for the first time, Los Angeles Chargers rookie Brenden Rice — whose father is NFL great Jerry Rice — tells PEOPLE, "The energy in this room is ecstatic."

"Everybody is just so cheerful. I'm happy to be here, especially among so many great athletes, guys that come from different backgrounds and put their best foot forward each and every day. And look where we're at. We're blessed, we're thankful," Rice says.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels says it was "an awesome moment" getting to see his jersey for the first time with his family at the event. "It was my first time seeing it, first time seeing my number on there and my last name. It's a real moment in the NFL," he adds.

But the celebratory weekend, which also included a special luncheon at Rubin's home with Tom Brady and JAY-Z, is about "building a relationship" with the new class of NFL stars.

Daniels, 23, says he greatly admires the effort that Rubin and Fanatics put into welcoming the rookies and building relationships with players. "I mean, just hearing from him, his journey that he been through. We got to hear his story and everything, so it's dope just to hear that perspective," says Daniels.

"The great thing for us is at Fanatics, until we got in the trading card and collectibles business, it was really all about the stars. The stars sold the jerseys. Now we could start with the rookies and you're building a relationship with guys much earlier and that's fun. I feel like to kind of grow up with these guys versus meeting them when they were already big stars, that's really interesting for me," says Rubin.

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During the luncheon, Brady, 46, spoke to players about the importance of balancing branding opportunities with work ethic. "Every day of practice is important. You know why? Because when I was on the Patriots and we had 20 years winning, every day was a big day," Brady said in a video later shared by Rubin.

"I treated a regular game like it was a Super Bowl, so when I got to the Super Bowl, it was just another day for me," Brady added.

JAY-Z offered his own words of wisdom to the rookies, saying, "You've got to know who you are because those moments are going to come. You're going to be down 28-0 and you've got to say, 'Alright, I know who I am, I'm gonna go get it.'"

After the luncheon, Brady shared photos from the meeting on Instagram and wrote, "I’ll always cherish the opportunity to talk to these young men who are about to start a monumental chapter of their lives. I would never be in the place I am today without the incredible people and mentors that came into my life at the right time and at the right place."

Curtin, the president of NFL Player Inc., tells PEOPLE, "What I will say for Michael is he is very focused on lifestyle and player experience. He doesn't want to have a transactional relationship with his partners and certainly with the players that he represents and works with, he wants to have a real relationship. And events like this that Michael and his team put on are really about creating a great experience for the brand and for the player and building that relationship."

Curtin adds that Fanatics has also opened its arms to the players' families, which lends to cultivating those close relationships. "All these guys come here, the whole journey is with their family. So everyone brings a guest or two. I've met a ton of dads and moms and girlfriends, and we do the best we can to make 'em feel included," he says.

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