Patriots stripped two days of OTAs for offseason violation: reports

The New England Patriots have been stripped of two days of organized team activities (OTAs) because of an offseason violation, according to multiple reports. 

The Patriots were already two days into their OTAs schedule when they announced on Wednesday that Thursday’s session, which would have been open to the media, was canceled. 

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Sources told ESPN that this week’s session and another next week were taken away from the team because of a violation of offseason rules. 

Pro Football Talk reported separately that an offseason special teams meeting was the source of the violation. Sources told the outlet that the meeting was optional but was made visible on the formal schedule, which the NFL Players Association said made it “mandatory.”

The Patriots currently have OTAs scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week and five more in the first two weeks of June. Mandatory minicamp begins June 12. 

According to the NFL Network, Tuesday’s session has been canceled. 

The NFL stripped practices from several teams last season, including the Chicago Bears, after they violated the league’s rules for non-contact practices during the offseason.