ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - NFL players were locked out of team headquarters last offseason because of the coronavirus pan demic. This year, their union wants them to boycott any in person OTAs. Members of the Broncos, Seahawks and Super Bowl champi on Buccaneers said Tuesday they'll do just that. "We find ourselves still in the midst of a pandemic with no com prehensive plan to keep players as safe as possible, yet teams are pres suring players to attend voluntary workouts," that begin next week, tweeted DeMaurice Smith, execu tive director of the NFL Players Association. "The union has advised players that given the continued risk of exposure and the goal of a full 2021 NFL season, that they should not attend these voluntary workouts," Smith added. "It is every player's decision, but our advice is to con tinue to use an abundance of cau tion given the current environ ment." Members of the Broncos - who have had 22 players in their build ing this offseason - and the Seahawks - who had no COVID 19 cases last season - became the first to declare their intention to stay away from the in person gath erings this spring. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy countered that "NFL team facilities are the safest places in our commu nities thanks to our comprehensive protocols that were developed in conjunction with the NFLPA and public health officials." McCarthy said the league and players union are continuing talks about holding safe offseason pro grams. Except for one minicamp, the offseason programs are voluntary, although most players participate in them and many players have con tractual incentives to do so. In a memo sent to all 32 teams Tuesday which was obtained by The Associated Press, Commissioner Roger Goodell said COVID 19 safety protocols will start to be relaxed as players and other team members get vaccinat ed. "The prospect of relaxing Covid protocols in the NFL should help encourage players and staff to be vaccinated," Goodell wrote. "Our primary focus at all times will remain the health and safety of everyone associated with the NFL," Goodell said in the memo, adding that "In light of expanded vaccine eligibility, it is appropriate now to take further steps to educate about and promote vaccine availability and acceptance within the NFL." He said all clubs should use their stadium or training facility as "a vaccination site for club staff, play ers and eligible family members" either through a vaccination day or by making shots available "on a convenient and regular basis." Goodell added that employees other than players need to get vac cinations "unless they have a bona fide medical or religious ground for not doing so" lest they be prohibit ed from interacting with players. Goodell added, "we anticipate relaxing various aspects of the Protocols (such as close contact quarantine, restrictions regarding locker room, meetings and cafeteria use and the testing cadence) for vaccinated individuals." Last year, teams were forced to do everything online until training camps opened in August. NFL Players Association presi dent J.C. Tretter has been advocat ing for a repeat of last year's offsea son, arguing that the adjustments caused by the coronavirus in 2020 showed the arduous offseason pro grams were unnecessary. The Cleveland Browns' center said during Super Bowl week that players across the league "felt both physically better and mentally sharper at the end of the season." "The amount of hours at the facility were down, the amount of reps were down. And we've had this false reality that a ton of reps are necessary (even) as we watch our bodies break down by the end of the year every year," Tretter said. "And we just get right back into the offseason and grind our bodies down to jump right back into train ing camp. It's a never ending grind," Tretter said. "We saw that we can do things differently this year. And the level of play didn't go down. We still had maybe one of the most exciting seasons of all time heading into an amazing playoffs." Players were tested daily, wore tracking devices, were under a mask mandate and for the last half of the season only met virtually out side of practice in 2020. Although safety protocols remain in place pending mass vac cinations, the Broncos cited inade quate measures for deciding not to participate in in person workouts this spring. "COVID 19 remains a serious threat to our families and to our communities and it makes no sense for us as players to put ourselves at risk during this dead period," the Broncos players said in a statement posted on the union's Twitter account. "Positivity rates in our city are higher than they were at this time last year and we know players have been infected at club facilities in recent weeks." A person with knowledge of the data who spoke to The AP on condi tion of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the Broncos have had 22 players work out or get treatment at the team's facility this offseason. That's sec ond only to the Cowboys with 25. Overall, some 400 players have been using their teams' facilities this offseason. The Seahawks players' state ment said the union has provided teams with research highlighting the safety and health benefits of last year's virtual offseason. The Buccaneers said Tuesday night that they were "choosing to take a stand with the other players across the league and exercise our right to not participate in the volun tary offseason program. We had a fully virtual offseason and we held each other accountable to do the work it took to win and we plan to do that again." Some players don't mind the old offseason programs, citing the need for teams with young quarterbacks, especially, to get all the time togeth er they can. Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is a big fan of the old offseason grind. "I've always been a guy who needs the reps," Kelce said at the Super Bowl. "I'm out there every day at practice working my tail off. I need all the reps that I can get so that I can be ready for every single look out there on the field. And that includes training camp, that includes OTAs and minicamp." Kelce said he's a fan of the NFL's cutting the preseason from four games to three, "but I do believe that training camp, the offseason, the OTAs, getting in this building and working on your craft is some thing that's needed."
NFL's revised offseason program includes mandatory minicamp
The NFL's revised offseason pro gram still includes a post draft rookie minicamp, voluntary work outs and a mandatory minicamp next month despite the union's objection to in person activities due to COVID 19 concerns. A memo obtained by The Associated Press that was sent to teams on Wednesday outlined sev eral changes to the offseason sched ule that was agreed upon under the collective bargaining agreement last year. The first phase of the offseason program was extended from two weeks to four from April 19 to May 14. Teams can hold up two hours of activity at their facility, but on field drills will not be permitted and all meetings must be held virtually. Capacity limits for the facility and weight room remain in place. The second phase has been shortened from three weeks to one from May 17 to May 24. On field drills will be permitted without contact but meetings will remain virtual. The third phase remains four weeks and will run from May 24 to June 18. It includes 10 days of tradi tional OTAs at full speed without contact and players are required to attend minicamp. Meetings can be virtual or in person. DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, tweeted Tuesday: "We find ourselves still in the midst of a pandemic with no comprehensive plan to keep players as safe as pos sible, yet teams are pressuring play ers to attend voluntary workouts. The union has advised players that given the continued risk of expo sure and the goal of a full 2021 NFL season, that they should not attend these voluntary workouts. It is every player's decision, but our advice is to continue to use an abundance of caution given the cur rent environment." The league says its altered off season program complies with its rights under the CBA and follows the COVID 19 protocols agreed upon last season. A person familiar with the numbers, speaking on con dition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said 400 players have been using their teams' facilities this offseason. The league says team facilities are safer than other workout locations. Players are protected against lost wages if they sustain an injury at a team's facility. They don't have the same protection if they're injured working out anywhere else. The three day post draft rookie minicamp may be held on either the first or second weekend following the draft.
Arkansas signs Musselman to new 5-year deal
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Arkansas announced Wednesday it has signed coach Eric Musselman to a new, five year agreement that could keep him with the Razorbacks through the 2028 season. The agreement, coming a month after Arkansas reached its first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance in more than 25 years, will run from May 1 through April 2026 and includes the potential for a pair of one year automatic agreement extensions if the Hogs receive NCAA tourney bids "within the timeframe of the agreement." Musselman will receive $4 million in annual compensa tion, with additional com pensation available based on longevity and "success in the SEC and NCAA Tournament."
UFC plans full Vegas crowd in July for Poirier-McGregor
The UFC intends to wel come a capacity crowd at Las Vegas' T Mobile Arena on July 10 when Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor fight for the third time. UFC President Dana White announced his plan Wednesday for the promo tion's first sellout show in its hometown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The world's biggest mixed martial arts organization hasn't fought in front of more than a few dozen fans in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic. For the past 11 months, the UFC has held its near weekly shows in its empty gym on its corporate campus in Vegas or at Abu Dhabi's Fight Island, where limited crowds were allowed in January. Earlier this week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said the state aims to lift the majority of its COVID 19 restrictions in the next few weeks with a goal of fully reopening by June 1.
Louisville's Johnson to enter NBA draft, forego eligibility
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville guard David Johnson will enter the NBA draft and forego his final two seasons of eligibility after being one of the Cardinals' most productive players the past two years. The 6 foot 5 Louisville native averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19 games as a sophomore and was an All Atlantic Coast Conference honorable men tion. Johnson was the Cardinals' No. 2 scorer but made a team high 32 3 pointers on nearly 39% shooting from behind the arc. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Louisville's 62 59 victory against rival Kentucky.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
TIMES-UNION
Warsaw, Indiana
3B
David Richard/As ociated Pres
In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 file photo, Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter stands on the field during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Cleveland. NFL players were locked out of team headquarters last offseason because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, their union wants them to boycott any in-person OTAs.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A lawyer and his 26 year old client told Pittsburgh police Wednesday that Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and others assaulted the man at a night club last weekend, causing multiple injuries Attorney Todd J. Hollis said his client, De'Vincent Spriggs, needed 16 stitches and suffered a broken orbital bone in his head, a broken nose and a sprained or bro ken arm at a bar on East Carson Street in the city's South Side. "We believe there was a misunderstanding that Mr. Spriggs bumped into Mr. Donald and Mr. Donald esca lated the matter, leading to my client's assault moments later," Hollis said. Hollis said Spriggs, who lives in another state, was taken by a friend to a hospital for treatment. The alleged attack occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday, he said. Hollis released a photo that showed Spriggs with facial injuries and swelling. Hollis and Spriggs filed a criminal complaint with Pittsburgh police on Wednesday. "They did a preliminary investigation and they're going to look into the matter and get back to us as soon as they have more information," Hollis said. Police released a blotter post that said they were sum moned early Sunday after noon to Mercy Hospital, where a man with face and arm injuries told them he had accidentally bumped into someone at a South Side bar. "He says that male and another ended up punching and kicking him," police wrote. "The complainant admits to throwing a bottle of alcohol, but didn't know if he had hit anyone." Spriggs was not identified by name, but the blotter post said the victim and his attor ney made a complaint about the incident on Wednesday. Pittsburgh police do not name suspects or the accused unless charges are filed. The department said it will consult with prosecutors who will decide if charges are warranted. Donald, 29, was named the Associated Press NFL defensive player of the year in February, the third time he has received the distinction. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh. The Los Angeles Rams issued a statement saying the team was aware of reports about Donald and was col lecting more information. The team declined further comment. A message seeking com ment was left with Donald's longtime agent, Todd France.
BY PAUL NEWBERRY
Associated Press Sports Writer
LA Rams' Donald Accused Of Assault
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sports Briefs
Jae C. Hong/As ociated Pres
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald (99) walks off the field after a loss to the New York Jets in an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., in this Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, file photo. A lawyer and his 26-year-old client told Pittsburgh police Wednesday, April 14, 2021, that Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and others assaulted the man at a nightclub last weekend, causing multiple injuries.
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
Associated Press Sports Writer
NFL Players Call For 'Virtual' Off-Season Work
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