New Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli doesn't seem to be making a lot of friends among the players. According to this note in the Lions blog at mlive.com, a couple of Lions players filed a grievance against Marinelli because his practices were a little too rough.
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement forbids any contact drills or use of pads at minicamps. This appears to be where the problem lies. One player said that practices were so physical that a couple of linemen got into a "scuffle."
I know that the NFL has rules, and that it's very bad to break them. But I think the Detroit Lions players have, given their past performance, abandoned the right to complain about such things. It shouldn't matter if Rod Marinelli has them engaging in fight-to-the-death kickboxing, they're the Detroit Lions. Right or wrong, when a team is that bad, and they complain about a coach being too hard on them, just one word comes to mind, and it rhymes with pussy.
Anyway, as a result of their complaining, the league found that the Lions did break some rules, and they have mandated that the Lions forfeit two days of their off-season program. Players won't have to be at the practice facility Monday or Tuesday, but will get paid anyway. I really think that's what the Lions need. Paid time off.
Lions players file grievance against Marinelli [mlive.com]
Lions get off days from workouts after complaint [Detroit Free Press]