The new collective bargaining agreement limits the amount of time that players can be at the team's facility during Phase 3, during which organized team activities increase to six hours per day, two hours more per day than in phases 1 and 2.
Despite the extra two hours, Carolina Panthers coach Ron Riverahad to tell players to go home, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports.
According to Person, the players check in with strength coach Joe Kenn when they arrive at the stadium, starting their six-hour clock. Rivera thus has had to poke his head into meeting rooms to remind players that their time at the facility for the day was up to ensure the team remains compliant with the CBA.
"I went downstairs and said, 'OK, everybody who's been here since 7, you've got to go,' " Rivera said. "So those guys got up and left."
As we noted last week, both the coach and the team are held responsible for any violations of Article 21 of the CBA, which governs the offseason workouts. A first violation would result in a fine of $250,000 for the team and $100,000 for the coach, with those fines increasing to $500,000 (team) and $250,000 (coach) for a second violation that also might result in the forfeiture of future OTAs and a fourth-round draft choice.
On the bright side, less time with the players has given the coaching staff more opportunities to watch the film from the day's practice to prepare for the following day.
"If we didn't (take a break) and we stayed with the guys, we would never get a chance to watch practice tape to prepare for the next day," Rivera said.