Cowboys' Mike McCarthy Reportedly Fined $100K by NFL for Physical OTA Practices

The Dallas Cowboys have once again been penalized for hosting physical OTA practices, with head coach Mike McCarthy being fined $100,000, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.

This marks the second straight year the Cowboys have been fined for having physical OTAs, and now, they'll lose an OTA practice next year as a result, according to Watkins.

Teams are allowed to hold 10 days of OTAs in the third phase of their offseason programs. No live contact is allowed during these sessions, though players may participate in 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills.

It's unclear how physical the Cowboys' OTAs had become this offseason, though things got pretty intense during 2021 offseason practices and the team was fined $100,000, with McCarthy also receiving a $50,000 fine, according to a letter the NFL sent to the team that was obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

At the time, McCarthy told reporters the Cowboys were just trying to do things "the right way":

"“I actually had a very good conversation with the league office. I thought it was informative. I think they’re in a very tough spot. Not as tough as my spot because it came out of my pocket. But I think first and foremost, we’re doing it the right way. There’s no question about that. Our players are trying to do it the right way."

"“I think there were seven to nine plays that we looked at as a group, and frankly, the majority of them involved younger players, so to me it’s a learning experience. I think like anything in life, if you’re punished for trying to do too much the right way as opposed to not doing enough the right way, I think that’s a healthy experience to learn from.”"

This latest infraction will serve as just another learning experience for McCarthy.