Bears opt out of spring practices due to COVID
The Bears are unlikely to hit the practice field until June, at the earliest, after players announced they would not participate in any voluntary in-person practices because of concerns over the coronavirus. Teams normally hold training programs and organized team activities in the spring, and while those always have been technically voluntary, players rarely skip them.
“We saw the health and safety benefits of a fully virtual offseason, as injuries across the NFL were down last year,” said the statement from Bears players released by the NFLPA. “Players remain unclear about the protocols and protections, and rules remain inconsistent despite the last-minute communication by the NFL.
“It is for these reasons that the majority of our locker room are choosing to exercise our right and not participate in in-person voluntary workouts in order to stay as safe as possible.”
Their decision follows similar ones by the Broncos, Lions, Patriots, Seahawks and Buccaneers. The union has urged players around the league to refuse anything other than virtual OTAs and is pushing for the mandatory minicamps in June to be virtual, as well.
The Bears had not announced their plans for spring work, but the NFL outlined the offseason plan Wednesday, which included onfield drills beginning May 17, three weeks of traditional OTAs starting May 24, with teams having the option to go virtual instead, and a fourth week for mandatory minicamp in midJune. Teams also can hold rookie minicamp after the draft.
Pass rusher Smith signs with Seahawks
Former Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks. The former All-Pro pass rusher, who was reinstated from an indefinite suspension that lasted from 2016 to 2019 for multiple off-field incidents and violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, totaled five sacks, 48 tackles and two fumble recoveries while playing all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2020.
HOF to honor nine deceased inductees
The nine new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who are deceased will be honored next month. Eight men who were selected for the 2020 centennial class and one from the 2021 group will be recognized. They are Bobby Dillon, Winston Hill, Alex Karras, Steve Sabol, Duke Slater, Mac Speedie, Ed Sprinkle and George Young from 2020, and Bill Nunn from 2021. It will air May 1 on NFL Network and again May 4 on ESPN2.
NFL inks deals with gambling companies
The league is partnering with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel, all of which will get the use of NFL trademarks and official league data and integrate their own betting content into media properties, including NFL.com and the league’s official app. Terms of the deals were not announced.