Bears forced to cancel Tuesday’s OTAs after violating non-contact rules

The Bears were forced to cancel Tuesday’s organized team activities after violating the non-contact rules in practice this spring, the Chicago Tribune first reported Tuesday.

Tuesday’s practice was scheduled to be open to members of the media. Late Monday night, the Bears postponed the open practice until Wednesday and did not provide a reason.

Live contact is prohibited during this part of the offseason and cannot begin until several days into training camp, per the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. It appears that new head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff were pushing the envelope this spring.

The league has been cracking down on this rule. The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars were all punished last year for violating the OTA rules. Each of those teams and their head coaches was fined, and the teams were forced to surrender valuable practice time.

The Bears are scheduled to resume practice at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. Eberflus is scheduled to speak with the media Wednesday.

This is Eberflus’ first spring in charge of an NFL team, but he has plenty of experience as an assistant in the league. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.