Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris has publicly opposed the NFL Players Association’s (NFLPA) reported proposal to eliminate Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and replace them with a longer training camp that could start as early as mid-June. Hours after the proposals were made public, Harris took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, stating that players do not want the changes to happen.
According to reports, the NFLPA is working on a proposal that would eliminate OTAs in favor of a longer training camp. The report stated that a majority of players support the idea. However, Harris disagrees. “I’m so confused how they are trying to twist this into saying players want to start camp the end of June,” he wrote on Twitter. “Nobody wants anything to do with this change.”
Harris also responded to a post by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer stating that coaches and front office executives are not pleased with the proposal. “Players don’t want this either!” Harris wrote. It’s likely that many more players share Harris’ sentiment. Why would players want to have longer training camps when OTAs are voluntary? If there is a benefit here, it would be that mandatory June minicamps would be eliminated, but that’s a small win for players, who technically only have one mandatory offseason commitment (minicamp) prior to the start of training camp in late July.
If the NFLPA moves forward with a formal proposal at some point this summer, we can expect more players to offer their two cents on the matter.
