Patriots' practice punishment caused by seemingly minor infraction
The New England Patriots organized training activities are already off to an interesting start. On Wednesday, the Patriots cancelled Thursday's scheduled OTA session less than 24 hours prior due to a violation of NFL rules, ESPN's Mike Reiss first reported. They were also docked another session next week. But the one question surrounding the incident […]
The New England Patriots organized training activities are already off to an interesting start.
On Wednesday, the Patriots cancelled Thursday's scheduled OTA session less than 24 hours prior due to a violation of NFL rules, ESPN's Mike Reiss first reported. They were also docked another session next week.
But the one question surrounding the incident was what was the exact rule that was violated?
On Thursday morning, ProFootball Talk's Mike Florio solved the mystery, reporting that it was a meeting violation.
"According to the source, an observer from the NFL Players Association believed that one of the optional early offseason meetings was a violation, because the 15-minute meeting in question (a special-teams session) was made visible on the internal schedule," Florio wrote.
The NFLPA concluded that by placing the meeting on the schedule it become mandatory rather than option, leading to the violation.
The next scheduled OTAs session is set for Wednesday, May 31, and reporters will be able to attend.
At first, reporters were granted access to three sessions on May 25, June 2, and June 8, but media will have access to only two sessions now. Reporters will be on hand on May 31 and June 6, with the Patriots holding closed sessions on June 2, 5, 8, and 9. Teams are required to open every third practice to reporters.
Following OTAs, media will be permitted to attend the three days of mandatory minicamp from June 12-14, but it would come as no surprise if the Patriots canceled a session — a move they have done in the past.
Hopefully there are no more surprises for the Patriots, with mandatory minicamp right around the corner.
Featured Image via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
