Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith is the latest in his fraternity to be penalized by the NFL for breaking protocols during offseason training.
On Friday, ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano reported that Smith was hit with a $50,000 fine from the NFL for conducting 1-on-1 drills between the team’s offensive and defensive linemen. Such drills are prohibited during training camps.
Houston Texans are one of four teams penalized for conducting prohibited drills
The new Houston Texans head coach is the fourth coaching staff leader to receive a penalty from the league due to not properly following practice guidelines during recent minicamps throughout the NFL.
In the same report on Smith, Graziano revealed that Washington Commanders HC Ron Rivera was fined double the amount of Smith “due to excessive contact in practice drills.” He also claimed the franchise will lose two 2023 OTA practices due to the infraction.
Earlier in the day, it was announced that the Dallas Cowboys and head ball coach Mike McCarthy were punished for practices that were “too physical” at minicamp. The organization will be docked a 2023 offseason practice and McCarthy also received a $100,000 fine.
New Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was informed last week that the team will lose a future practice after having prohibited live contact drills at May voluntary camps.
In 2019, the league banned teams from using the common drills known as Oklahoma, King of the Circle/Bull in the Ring, and Half Line during training camps in the hopes of lessening the chance of head injuries in NFL practices.
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