The current Collective Bargaining Agreement bars teams from practicing in full pads until training camp, but the Ravens may have violated that rule during their recent rookie minicamp.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports that the NFL is investigating the Ravens for using full pads during a session at that camp. A team official told Hensley that the Ravens are not aware of any investigation by the league, but said that there was “a five-minute period” during one practice that saw players in full pads during a non-contact punt drill.
Per the report, the Ravens were unaware that the same rules from the rest of the offseason program applied to rookie minicamps and the players were pulled off the field after Ravens tight end and union rep Benjamin Watson clarified that the rules were the same for all practice periods.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has said in the past that he thinks the current rules governing offseason work are detrimental to both teams and players.
Practice sessions are taped, so it shouldn’t take long to verify what happened if there is an investigation by the league. Past violations of practice rules have seen teams lose organized team activity days. The Ravens hold their first OTAs on May 24.
