A look at the NFL’s plans for spring football, including key Miami Dolphins dates
The NFL has stuck to its plan to allow in-person workouts this spring — even as more and more players are saying they won’t attend over health and safety concerns.
The league informed its member clubs Wednesday that they can hold a month of meetings, workouts and practices in their respective headquarters, including 10 OTA practices and a mandatory minicamp in mid-June to wrap up the program.
This marks a return to normalcy for the league after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out all in-person work during the spring of 2020.
But even with vaccines readily available, many players, including members of the Broncos, Buccaneers and Patriots, are opting out of most of spring ball.
“In solidarity with other players across the NFL and in the interest of our health and safety, many of us at the New England Patriots will be exercising our right to not attend voluntary workouts this offseason,” Patriots players said Wednesday in a statement distributed by the NFLPA.
Dolphins players as of Wednesday afternoon had not indicated whether they plan to skip the eight-week voluntary portion of the program, which is scheduled to begin Monday.
Players who decide to participate largely will not spend much, if any, time in team headquarters for the first four weeks of the regimen.
The first phase will be limited to virtual meetings with no on-field drills or work with coaches. During this time, clubs are “to make every effort to have the vaccine available for players, staff and families,” the NFL wrote.
From May 17 to May 21, the league will allow some on-field drills with coaches, but the meetings will remain virtual.
That leads up to the four-week third phase, which features 10 days of OTA practices and the mandatory minicamp. Meetings are allowed to be in-person at that time, but teams can choose to continue holding them remotely.
Those who skip the mandatory minicamp will be subject to a fine. Workout bonuses will be honored, per the contract of each individual player.
COVID-19 protocols from the 2020 season, including regular testing, mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing requirements, will largely remain in place. No player, coach or employee will be forced to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but those staffers who refuse the shot will not be granted access to players, the NFL announced Tuesday.
▪ Nearly one in of five all COVID-19 vaccine dosages administered in Miami-Dade County since beginning of the pandemic have been given at Hard Rock Stadium, Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said Wednesday. In all, more than 150,000 doses have been administered at the Dolphins’ stadium, which is now accepting people without appointment.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 2:41 PM.
