The NFL is weird
 

Been an interesting and puzzling day for the offseason.

Headlines - "Bellicheck cheating again"
A practice cancelled, and another next week cancelled.

And apparently personally fined 50K!

Must be something pretty serious?

Nope, someone put a special teams meeting on a schedule which somehow makes it mandatory and illegal:confused::confused:
And he got fined personally when it appears he wasn't the one that put it on the schedule....

Oh the Horror!
Oh, wait... apparently this sort of thing happens to many teams.


How are players supposed to know about meetings if they can't put them on a schedule?

many of these newer rules in the NFL and in their Collective Bargaining Agreement confuse me.
Especially about the off season work outs, the limited # of days they can practice, the limited amount of days/time in full gear, even their meetings.

So none of this shocks me but as the HC they are accountable for their coaches so they shoulder the fines.

But since it is New England hard to have sympathy since they are famous for stretching the rules

Going off topic, but I'm disappointed with the new kickoff / fair catch rule.

Think they'll bring the ball back to the 20 yard line with a fair catch?

Unlikely, they're just pulling a trick to avoid the no more kickoffs rule that nobody wants.
Some players have explained that the new rule would be more dangerous not less.

The Bears and Cowboys were docked practices last year, and apparently the Texans and Commanders broke off season rules as well and supposedly other teams, but the articles don't name them.

So I'm pretty sure confusion (or not) around the offseason rules isn't just a Patriots thing.
That it became news to the extent it has seems to be just because it's the Patriots.