The Bears canceled an organized practice on Tuesday after reportedly violating the rules of the collective bargaining agreement by having live contact during their May practices, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.
NFLPA representatives were reportedly present at Halas Hall, the host of the team’s offseason training program, last month for a practice and witnessed on-field contact, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The NFLPA issued a warning but continued to monitor Chicago’s practices by requesting video and saw more contact in team OTAs after the warning.
According to the NFL’s CBA, which was agreed upon by the players’ association and franchise owners, live contact is prohibited during offseason workouts. As a result, the Bears were docked Tuesday’s OTA practice for violating league rules.
The team had sent an email to reporters with a change to this week’s OTAs schedule on Monday night, moving media access from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to Wiederer. At the time, the Bears provided no explanation for the schedule adjustment.
The misstep marks a first for Chicago’s new regime, led by coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles, both of whom were hired this offseason. The Bears should be able to get back on the field later this week to finish out OTA practices before hosting their three-day mandatory minicamp next week.
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