Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee suffered a torn ACL in what was supposed to be non-contact work at Organized Team Activities, but the NFL Players Association apparently believes that the Cowboys were following the rules.
According to Ed Werder of ESPN, the NFLPA is convinced that the Cowboys violated no rules.
The union apparently believes that Lee’s knee injury happened as he planted his foot just before making contact with rookie offensive lineman Zack Martin. Although Martin blocked Lee and landed on top of him, the ACL may have been torn before there was any contact between the two of them.
Lee hasn’t said anything to indicate that he believes the Cowboys put him at risk, but then again players rarely make waves about violations of the practice rules. The union’s job is to ensure that players are collectively being kept safe, even if many injured players individually just view injuries as an unfortunate part of the cost of doing business.
Obviously, the Cowboys didn’t want Lee to get hurt. And other teams are already taking notice of Lee’s injury and reminding players to take care of each other at OTAs. Teams may not need the union to remind them to follow the rules about non-contact practices. Lee’s injury should have been enough.