Please try another search
By Amy Tennery
(Reuters) - The Detroit Lions became the fourth National Football League team to opt out of in-person voluntary workouts, citing concerns over COVID-19, as a rift emerged between the league and its players' union over off-season protocols.
The Lions joined the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who said this week they would not participate in the workouts, a year after the NFL took its off-season to a "virtual" format up until training camp, as the deadly pandemic ripped through the United States.
"With the voluntary workout period starting shortly and no acceptable resolution to our union's negotiations with the NFL over comprehensive COVID-19 protocols, we will be exercising our (Collective Bargaining Agreement) right to not attend," the Lions players said in a statement released through the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
The NFLPA said that teams had been "pressuring players" to participate in the voluntary workouts, which it has advised its members not to attend.
The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The daily cases of COVID-19 are higher now than last March when we decided that we were going to conduct off-season much differently," NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said in a video posted to social media.
"From the players' perspective the goal remains the same: How do we conduct NFL football in the safest possible way with a goal of not just starting the season but more importantly a goal of getting through the entire season."
A league spokesman posted to social media a summary https://twitter.com/NFLprguy/status/1382396334683127812 of the league's nine-week off-season program, all of which is voluntary, with the exception of a mandatory minicamp during the "third phase," which runs May 24 to June 18.
The league last year scrapped all pre-season games and instituted an array of safety measures designed to mitigate the risk of the coronavirus, conducting its draft virtually and mandating regular COVID testing for players, coaches and staff.
The NFL's chief medical officer, Allan Sills, said last month that while he hopes players and staff will get the COVID-19 vaccine, the league would not require it.
Are you sure you want to block %USER_NAME%?
By doing so, you and %USER_NAME% will not be able to see any of each other's Investing.com's posts.
%USER_NAME% was successfully added to your Block List
Since you’ve just unblocked this person, you must wait 48 hours before renewing the block.
I feel that this comment is:
Thank You!
Your report has been sent to our moderators for review
Add a Comment
We encourage you to use comments to engage with other users, share your perspective and ask questions of authors and each other. However, in order to maintain the high level of discourse we’ve all come to value and expect, please keep the following criteria in mind:
Enrich the conversation, don’t trash it.
Stay focused and on track. Only post material that’s relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Perpetrators of spam or abuse will be deleted from the site and prohibited from future registration at Investing.com’s discretion.