With the OTAs set to begin in the NFL on April 19, the Denver Broncos players revealed through a statement that they would omit this volunteer program. Denver players, under the direction of the NFLPA, cited the concerns of COVID-19 as the reason for their refusal to run.
This, after the players themselves (for the most part) showed up every day at the Broncos ’UCHealth training facility last fall, going through the team’s rigorous COVID-19 safety and security protocols. Few bronchus fell with the virus during the 2020 season, though some coaches did as well.
Players like defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who missed a month of football as a result, contracted the virus outside the Broncos building, but was smart and conscious enough to inform the team when he realized that had been exposed to error. Less than a week later, he tested positive.
COVID-19 is a very real virus and is a threat, however, the Broncos turned Dove Valley into an almost impenetrable fortress against it. The NFL is to be commended for its treatment of the pandemic, especially the Broncos, and for its focus on player safety last fall.
A Bronco of the collective that will not appear in the “voluntary” OTAs next week does so with a kind of protest on social media. On Tuesday, initial advocate Alexander Johnson took to Twitter to express his skepticism of skipping the OTAs, while revealing a controversial view of the pandemic. He will still be closing ranks around his teammates and skipping the OTAs.
Johnson kept saying on Twitter: “I’m definitely playing with my team and I support my teammates so they’re not face-to-face based on the rest of the factors that help individual players, not just for excuses around a planned pandemic.”
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The notion that the pandemic is “planned” is a very tin foil hat and Johnson has already received strong criticism. Mile High Sports to spread “misinformation” with his platform as a player. However, looking beyond the controversy to read between the lines of what the great advocate expressed, it doesn’t sound like Johnson fears the virus and questions the reasons for what is happening.
It may have been a kind of Freudianism, but that is its prerogative as an individual. Obviously, many of his teammates feel differently. However, some wonder what factor played the most important role in the Broncos players skipping the OTAs: the safety of the virus or not having to attend a voluntary program for a month where the boys can extend the holidays.
The NFLPA has long tried to cut the training program for the NFL season and has done so with great effect. OTAs used to be an extension of the training camp with contacts, attacks and punches. Now, after long NFLPA negotiations with homeowners over multiple collective agreements, OTAs are little more than organized football.
The new OTAs are better for the long-term health of the players, although they may not be the best for the overall cohesion of the team. The OTAs still represent immense value for NFL teams, including players. This is especially true for any extremely young team, who are certainly the Broncos.
Johnson seems to prefer to report on April 19, but based on what he said on Twitter, he is more likely to stay in line with group thinking as defended by NFLPA player Brandon McManus. , who takes his orders from the president of the union, JC Tretter. .
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