Perhaps it’s a good thing the Commanders decided not to spend six figures for a week in Richmond during training camp, because their coach is $100K lighter in the wallet after minicamp.
As confirmed by our own JP Finlay, the NFL has fined Commanders head coach Ron Rivera $100,000 and docked the team two OTA practices in 2023 due to “excessive contact during drills” at the team’s activities earlier this month.
The NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits live contact during OTA sessions, a rule that was violated “on more than one occasion” by the Commanders, according to the NFLPA’s letter to the team.
There was one such incident that stuck out: during OTAs open to the media on June 8, safety Jeremy Reaves and wide receiver Dyami Brown collided on a passing play and sent Brown out of practice with a shoulder issue, and the play prompted Rivera to chastise the team about the incident.
“We just got to be careful and work with each other," Rivera said after that practice. “The last thing we want is somebody to be hurt. There's a certain discipline that I try to get across to the guys that they understand that when we talk about doing things a specific way, there's a reason why.”
Per the NFL CBA, players who attend OTAs in 2023 won’t be able to work out at the team facility on the days docked, but they will be paid for them.
The Commanders weren’t the only ones docked on Friday: new Texans head coach Lovie Smith was also fined $50K for allowing 1-on-1 drills between offensive and defensive linemen, a practice also prohibited by the NFL CBA.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
