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Monday, July 12, 2004
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
The Arizona Cardinals on Monday became the second team in three months forced to forfeit allotted spring or summer practices for violating the league's collective bargaining agreement rules governing offseason workouts.
In a joint statement, NFL executive vice president Harold Henderson and NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw announced that an investigation found the Cardinals had overstepped both the "intensity level and tempo" permitted by the rules during so-called "organized team activity" days.
Under an agreement by the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council, the Cardinals forfeited the final four days of the club's voluntary workout program, which were to have begun Monday. The team will have no workouts now until it assembles for training camp at Northern Arizona University on Aug. 1.
"We have been informed of the decision by the Management Council," said Cardinals vice president of football operations Rod Graves. "We're very respectful of the CBA and are taking the appropriate measures to make sure this does not reoccur."
Team and league sources said a group of Arizona players had complained to their union representative about some of the drills included in coach Dennis Green's practices. Two veteran Cardinals contacted on Monday declined to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear when the violations occurred.
In May, the league penalized the New York Giants, taking away two of the team's 14 allotted "organized team activity" days, charging that coach Tom Coughlin kept them at the stadium beyond the prescribed limit for offseason programs and that he mandated players report for breakfast.
The violation by the Cardinals is believed to be the first for the franchise. Teams can be penalized by forfeiture of draft choices for repeat violations.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
The Arizona Cardinals on Monday became the second team in three months forced to forfeit allotted spring or summer practices for violating the league's collective bargaining agreement rules governing offseason workouts.
In a joint statement, NFL executive vice president Harold Henderson and NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw announced that an investigation found the Cardinals had overstepped both the "intensity level and tempo" permitted by the rules during so-called "organized team activity" days.
Under an agreement by the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council, the Cardinals forfeited the final four days of the club's voluntary workout program, which were to have begun Monday. The team will have no workouts now until it assembles for training camp at Northern Arizona University on Aug. 1.
"We have been informed of the decision by the Management Council," said Cardinals vice president of football operations Rod Graves. "We're very respectful of the CBA and are taking the appropriate measures to make sure this does not reoccur."
Team and league sources said a group of Arizona players had complained to their union representative about some of the drills included in coach Dennis Green's practices. Two veteran Cardinals contacted on Monday declined to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear when the violations occurred.
In May, the league penalized the New York Giants, taking away two of the team's 14 allotted "organized team activity" days, charging that coach Tom Coughlin kept them at the stadium beyond the prescribed limit for offseason programs and that he mandated players report for breakfast.
The violation by the Cardinals is believed to be the first for the franchise. Teams can be penalized by forfeiture of draft choices for repeat violations.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
