"Refs already costing us our season" - Dallas fans infuriated following NFL levying fine on Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy

With the kickoff of the 2022 NFL season still months away, fans of the Dallas Cowboys are already waving the victim card around. What has triggered fans of America's team?

It seems to be the recent $100k fine that was dished out to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, for what the NFL deemed was an unacceptable level of physicality during OTA practices.

The sanction should have come as little surprise to McCarthy, as he was fined for the exact same reason last year. On that occasion, he was out of pocket to the tune of $50k.

Since this was a repeat offense, the Cowboys also lost an OTA practice for 2023. Fans of the team have been incensed by the latest developments, but rather than directing any anger at the Cowboys front office or their head coach, they have lashed out at NFL HQ.

Taking to Twitter, one Dallas Cowboys fan was already writing off the 2022 season and focusing on 2023:

A large contingent of fans were both angry and bemused by the team being fined for being too physical:

Some Cowboys fans wanted to know what actual evidence the NFL had or whether someone had snitched on the team:

What are OTA's and what work are teams allowed to undertake?

Organised team activities (OTA) are held between April and July and are covered by very specific rules, which have been agreed upon by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Teams are only allowed 10 days of OTA in a year, which must be split, and held during certain phases of the off-season.

There can be no 'live contact' during OTA drills, no one-on-one between offense and defense, and no padded practice. What the NFL deems as 'live contact' is subjective, which is where Mike McCarthy has fallen foul these past couple of seasons.

OTAs are, of course, voluntary, and teams cannot force players to attend, although contracts usually have bonuses linked to participation in these team activities.

What you will see during OTA's is a lot of position group work, where players can focus on the finer details of their individual roles. OTA's allow teams to monitor the general fitness of players during the off-season, ensuring that they maintain an acceptable level of fitness, and are good to go by the time pre-season arrives.

Film study is also a core component of OTA's, so these team activities are invaluable for rookies on the team as they strive to get up to speed.

While these camps are heavily restricted, they are not policed by the NFL or the players association.

For this reason, teams are very coy about what footage is made available for public consumption. In order for the NFL to take action, they must have some form of evidence, with the likelihood that it was provided from within the Cowboys organisation.