With OTAs set to begin on April 19 across the NFL, the Denver Broncos players have stated they will skip this volunteer program. The Denver players, led by the NFLPA, cite COVID-19 concerns as the reason for their refusal to show up.
That, after the same players (mostly) showed up at the Broncos’ UCHealth training facility every day, by following the team’s strict COVID-19 safety and security protocols. Few Broncos came down with the virus during the 2020 season, though some coaches did.
Players like defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who followed football for a month, contracted the virus from the Broncos building, but was smart and conscientious in notifying the team when he realized he was exposed to the error. Less than a week later, he tested positive.
COVID-19 is a very real virus and it is a threat. The Broncos, however, made Dove Valley an almost impenetrable stronghold against it. The NFL should be commended for dealing with the pandemic, especially the Broncos, and its focus on player safety this fall.
One Bronco among the group who did not report to ‘voluntary’ OTAs next week is doing so with some sort of protest on social media. On Tuesday, starting line-up Alexander Johnson addressed Twitter to express his skepticism about skipping OTAs while revealing a controversial opinion on the pandemic. He is still going to close the ranks around his teammates and skip OTAs.
Johnson further said on Twitter: “I am definitely with my team and support my teammates because they are not personal, based on all the other factors that help the individual players, just not for excuses around a planned pandemic.”
What happens next for the Broncos? Do not miss any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our FREE Newsletter and receive daily news about the Broncos at your inbox!
The idea that the pandemic is ‘planned’ is a lot of tin foil hat and Johnson has already received fierce criticism from Miles High Sport for the dissemination of “disinformation” with its platform as a player. However, if we look beyond the controversy of reading between the lines of what the great linebacker has uttered, it does not sound as if Johnson fears the virus and questions the motives of what is happening.
Maybe it was a kind of Freudian comic, but it is his privilege as an individual. Of course, many of his teammates feel different. However, some wonder what factor played the bigger role in the Broncos players skipping OTAs: virus safety or not signing them up for a month for a volunteer program where guys can extend their vacation.
The NFLPA has long tried to break down the NFL’s off-season training program and has done so with great success. OTAs used to be an extension of the training camp with contact, approach and hitting. Now, after the NFLPA’s long negotiations with the owners in the course of multiple collective bargaining agreements, OTAs are nothing more than organized flag soccer.
The new OTAs are better for the long-term health of players, but may not be the best for overall cohesion in the team. OTAs are still a great value for NFL teams, including the players. This is especially true for extraordinary young team, which the Broncos are definitely.
It sounds like Johnson prefers to report on April 19, but based on what he said on Twitter, he is more likely to stay in line with the group thinking espoused by NFLPA player Representative Brandon McManus, who she march accepted by union president JC Tretter. .
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.
Follow Mile High Huddle Twitter and Facebook.
Sign in to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live stream podcasts!