NFL Investigating Ravens For Illegally Using Full Pads At Rookie Minicamp
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Baltimore Ravens will be the subject of an NFL investigation into allegedly practicing with players in full pads during rookie minicamp, which would violate the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
A league source told ESPN's Jamison Hensley that the Ravens recently practiced in full pads for a brief time. The reported said they were unaware that the rules regarding pads at rookie minicamp were different from offseason organized team activities. Since the passing of the 2011 CBA, teams are not allowed to suit up in full pads at any time until training camp, including OTAs.
A Ravens official told ESPN that the team held a "non-contact punt protection drill" on Friday, May 6, in which rookies apparently practiced in pads. Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson, an NFLPA rep, reportedly notified the Ravens of a potential violation and the team "immediately pulled players off the field once it received clarification," according to the report.
All Ravens offseason practices are taped, as all teams do according to the CBA, so it will be easy for any investigation to spot a violation. The Ravens had to forfeit their final week of OTAs back in 2010 for violating rules "concerning the intensity and tempo of drills" during workouts, according to a statement from the NFL and NFLPA at the time.
