Reuters
The Detroit Lions became the fourth National Football League team to opt out of in-person voluntary workouts, citing concerns over COVID-19, as a rift emerged between the league and its players' union over off-season protocols. The Lions joined the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who said this week that they would not participate in the workouts, a year after the NFL took its off-season to a "virtual" up until training camp, as the deadly pandemic ripped through the United States. "With the voluntary workout period starting shortly and no acceptable resolution to our union's negotiations with the NFL over comprehensive COVID-19 protocols, we will be exercising our (Collective Bargaining Agreement) right to not attend," the Lions players said in a statement released through the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).