The Atlanta Falcons will have to forfeit the first three days of next year's organized team activities for violating NFL-NFLPA rules prohibiting excessive contact during offseason workouts.
The league announced the penalties Thursday. The violation stemmed from a session in May during which the Falcons allowed players to engage in excessive contact prohibited under the collective bargaining agreement.
"We take player safety very seriously and work hard to ensure that we are in compliance with league rules," the Falcons said in a statement. "Although we are disappointed in the penalty, we respect the league's decision and will make the necessary adjustments moving forward."
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he did not address the team about the violations and subsequent penalties and doesn't plan to anytime soon.
When asked whether the NFL's ruling could be a distraction as the 3-1 Falcons prepare for Sunday's showdown against the 4-0 Denver Broncos, Quinn made clear he doesn't view it as such.
"Not a distraction on our end," Quinn said. "We recognize it happens, and we know we'll deal with that coming the spring. But as far as the focus for the game and where we're at right now, no distraction for us."
Quinn said there was no one contact incident specified by the league that resulted in the penalty.
"In general, just more contact than they would have liked to have been seen," Quinn said. "It's a great topic. It's certainly one that I'll visit with them through the offseason, not just with our own players but with the league, too. I want to make sure I'm teaching the guidelines exactly as the league set forth. We love the competitive environment that we do promote, and we have been safe with the guys. But if there was a violation there, then we owned up to that and want to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Quinn has been tied to such violations in the past. He was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks during the 2014 season when Seattle was found to have violated access contact rules.
The Seahawks violated those rules at least three times and received a hefty penalty in September as a repeat violator. The team will forfeit its 2017 fifth-round pick and was fined $400,000. Head coach Pete Carroll was also fined $200,000. In addition, the Seahawks will forfeit their first week of OTAs, covering three days, in 2017.
Seahawks players will be paid for the canceled sessions, as will Falcons players.