Analyst Tom Pelissero broke the news on Tuesday that the NFL Players Association is close to finalizing an agreement to overhaul the offseason workouts for players.
The proposed changes would replace the voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) with a longer training camp process that starts in mid-June, Pelissero wrote.
End of OTAs? The NFL Players Association is working to finalize a proposal to overhaul the offseason starting as soon as 2025, eliminating voluntary on-field work in the spring in favor of a longer training camp ramp-up, with players reporting in mid-June to early July, per… pic.twitter.com/nQa9TmKCGO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 28, 2024
Pelissero added later in the thread that the union sought feedback from players and suggested the new plan would have a majority of support from the group.
Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris is not one of those supporters.
Harris took to Twitter after the news broke, sharing a strong statement and re-posting several other users who came out against the proposal.
“Nobody wants anything to do with this change,” Harris wrote in his post.
I’m so confused how they are trying to twist this into saying players want to start camp the end of June 🙃 nobody wants anything to do with this change
— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) May 28, 2024
Harris added that the NFL or its representatives are “trying to twist this into saying players want to start camp at the end of June.”
He was adamant that was not the case, responding with that message to NFL analyst Albert Breer’s Twitter post that the proposed change was “going over like the Hindenburg with coaches and front-office people.”
Players don’t want this either! https://t.co/GuaE8j8Swt
— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) May 28, 2024
Harris had a strong response to the original post, too.
Cleveland’s defensive tackle re-posted two “thumbs down” emojis to Pelissero’s original Twitter message.
— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) May 28, 2024
Currently, practices at the end of May and the beginning of June are voluntary exercises players can choose to skip.
The proposed changes would ensure a longer break between the official end of the season and the beginning of a new one.
The 32-year-old defensive tackle is a 10-year veteran of the league, re-signing with the Browns this offseason on a one-year deal.
NEXT: Top 2 Storylines Heading Into Browns Second OTA Session
