Stop shaming NFL players for missing 'voluntary' OTAs
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Voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) have commenced in the NFL. I include “voluntary” because the word seems to have lost its meaning with many football fans, as well with some in the media. You can’t go a day this time of year without reading a sStop shaming NFL players for missing 'voluntary' OTAs
Voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) have commenced in the NFL. I include “voluntary” because the word seems to have lost its meaning with many football fans, as well with some in the media. You can’t go a day this time of year without reading a story about a star player skipping OTAs, followed by a sort of shaming from various corners of the football world. So far, Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns), Le’Veon Bell (Jets) and Antonio Brown (Raiders) have received the treatment. Talk to any beat writer, though, and they’ll tell you that “football in shorts” isn’t an activity from which teams draw significant conclusions — or any conclusions. The fact OTAs are voluntary should alone answer any question regarding their importance. I say “should” because the years-long obsession with OTAs by militaristic NFL types like Tom Coughlin has infected fans everywhere. Absent players are referred to as “NO-SHOWS” in breathless headlines, or ripped in hot takes from the talk show crowd. The negativity is palpable. Underper Read more