The Seattle Seahawks lost more than just a football game this weekend.
The NFL on Monday came down hard on the Seahawks for violating league rules about offseason workouts, fining the team $400,000 and head coach Pete Carroll $200,000 while taking away Seattle’s fifth-round draft pick in 2017 and forcing the club to forfeit its first three days of 2017 organized team activities.
Seattle was penalized for holding workouts that included excessive on-field contact, specifically a June 6, 2016, workout that included “live contact” drills which aren’t allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players’ Association.
“The prohibition is one of several measures the NFL and NFLPA implemented to enhance player safety by limiting contact during offseason workout programs,” the NFL said in a statement, via USA TODAY Sports. “The rules also help to prevent any team from gaining a competitive advantage.”
The Seahawks are repeat offenders, as they were punished for similar excessive contact violations in both 2012 and 2014. Unfortunately for Seattle, its infractions during this offseason haven’t exactly given the club a competitive advantage so far; the team failed to score a touchdown Sunday in a 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and has scored just 15 points through two games.
“I’ve got to do a better job,” Carroll told reporters Monday. “We got to make sure we’re toeing the line … We still didn’t quite meet the standards the (NFL) wants.”
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
