Bears players can't work out at Halas
Bears players can't work out at Halas
By Jeff Dickerson
ESPNChicago.com
Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould, who served as the team's union player representative before decertification on March 11, reported to Halas Hall on Tuesday morning but was unable to access the team's workout facilities.
All you can do if you show up today as a player is to basically tour the facility," Gould told ESPNChicago.com Tuesday morning. "I first went to the training room and all the trainers were there, but they placed a call to [Bears contract negotiator] Cliff Stein, who came downstairs from his office to inform me that I could not work out until clarification comes from the judge's ruling."
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson granted the players' request for an injunction to lift the lockout on Monday, ending the NFL's work stoppage in its 45th day but prompting an immediate notice from the league that it will appeal.
"I spoke to both Stein and team president Ted Phillips, and they claimed the reason players won't be able to work out is because of fiscal liability," Gould said. "They just don't want to run the financial risk of anyone getting hurt."
The locker room was locked, and players are being pulled into the cafeteria and being informed they can't work out at the facility, Gould said.
"Even though there's all this talk the lockout has been lifted, they're still not letting us work out," Gould said.
Players told to show up ready for work -- or workouts -- on Tuesday.
"We have received inquiry from a number of players and agents. We have simply responded and told them we don't see anything wrong with it," NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah said in a text message to The Associated Press. "Players are organizing stuff on their own."
Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.