Meeting violation reportedly led to Patriots forfeiting OTAs, big fine for Bill Belichick
BOSTON -- The Patriots were docked two OTA practice sessions due to a meeting violation, according to Pro Football Talk.
Mike Florio cited a league source who said that "one of the optional early offseason meetings was a violation, because the 15-minute meeting in question (a special-teams session) was made visible on the internal schedule."
"In the opinion of the NFLPA, placing the meeting on the formal schedule converted it from 'optional' to 'mandatory,'" Florio wrote. "The violation, per the source, had nothing to do with activities on the practice field, including whether or not there was impermissible contact."
The infraction also led to a hefty fine for head coach Bill Belichick. According to Greg Bedard, the NFL slapped Belichick with a $50,000 fine for the violation.
Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 as part of the Patriots’ offseason violations, according to a league source.
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) May 25, 2023
It wasn't even Belichick who scheduled the meetings, either. According to Bedard, it was special teams coach Joe Judge who "conducted special teams meetings that caused offense and defense players to be at the facility longer than their maximum four hours."
The violations happened on May 1, 2, and 4, according to Bedard, with the NFLPA filing its complaint on May 4. The NFL noted that New England "complied fully with the situation."
ESPN's Mike Reiss originally reported that the OTAs had been stripped by the NFL, though the violation was unspecified at the initial time of reporting.