The New England Patriots might want to make some changes to that “The Patriot Way” manual they feed the public at every available opportunity.
I always thought it was kind of weird the Patriots forced CB (and Super Bowl hero) Malcolm Butler to skip three weeks of VOLUNTARY OTA sessions because he was late due to a missed flight. He even called long ahead of time to inform the team. It appears I was right.
According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Patriots may be in some hot water for violating Butler’s rights as written in the CBA, because the workouts were indeed VOLUNTARY, meaning the team had no right to force Butler to show up, or punish him for being tardy.
Per source, the NFLPA is indeed looking into potential violation of CBA Article 21, Section 5(a) by the Patriots — re: Malcolm Butler.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 10, 2015
Pro Football Talk explains CBA article 21, Section 5(a) in detail:
Article 21, Section 5(a) of the CBA states: “No Club official may indicate to a player that the Club’s offseason workout program or classroom instruction is not voluntary (or that a player’s failure to participate in a workout program or classroom instruction will result in the player’s failure to make the Club or result in any other adverse consequences affecting his working conditions).”
We all know New England head coach, Bill Belichick loves to run a tight ship. It’s difficult to question the methods of a coach that has done as much winning as he has, however, this is just silly.
Aside from it being silly it’s unnecessary valuable time missed for a team who lost their best two defensive backs in the offseason. Last year, aside from the play in the Super Bowl that turned him into an overnight celebrity, Butler was a solid relief man, and spotty in premiere roles. This season he’s expected to challenge for the top spot on the depth chart. I’d say he could use ALL the work he’s able to get, but maybe that’s just me.
[h/t PFT]