Around 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the New England Patriots canceled an organized team activity for Thursday.
A few hours later, ESPN reported that the team had been docked two OTA workouts for violating offseason rules.
The specific violation was not reported. USA TODAY Sports reached out to the NFL and Patriots for comment.
In addition to Thursday’s workout, the team will lose another one next week, according to ESPN. The team was scheduled to have 10 OTA dates between late May and early June, with this portion of the offseason program closing with a minicamp from June 12-14.
The NFL has been handing out similar punishments in recent years for rules violations, which the Players’ Association monitors. In 2021, the Dallas Cowboys forfeited one week of OTAs for the following offseason, while the league made the San Francisco 49ers shut down the final week of their OTA practices that year.
All teams film their OTAs, in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, to allow the league reviewing capability of non-contact rules. In 2018, the Baltimore Ravens were docked two OTA dates for having players in full pads during a rookie minicamp.
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