ATLANTA–The Atlanta Falcons really should do a better job of planning team practices around kickball tournaments.
On Friday, while the other Falcons took part in Organized Team Activities workouts at Flowery Branch, receiver Julio Jones was reportedly hanging out at Cam Newton's charity kickball event in Charlotte, N.C., flanked by a large group of athletes and celebrities, including Terrell Owens.
The Kicking It With Cam tournament, one of Newton's signature annual events in the Charlotte area, likely raised a robust amount of cash for the quarterback's foundation.
However, here in Atlanta, it might have also dredged up hurt feelings among Falcons fans ... especially after seeing the since-deleted Tweet from the Panthers' official Twitter handle:
As if the rivalry between the Panthers and Falcons needed more oomph.
To be fair, it's not like Jones–who's reportedly seeking an 'updated' contract to his 2015 extension (five years, $71.2 million)–skipped the ongoing OTA workouts without alerting Falcons in advance. Team officials have likely known of the high-profile absence for some time; and even the media was tipped off to it three weeks ago.
So, in that vein, it might not matter how Julio spends the time away from Flowery Branch, provided he wasn't performing some kind of life-risking, DeAndre Levy-style Wing Walk aboard a twin-engine airplane.
According to the Charlotte Observer, no injuries were reported among the football players; and that's good, since Jones is slated to attend the Falcons' mandatory mini-camp in two weeks (June 12-14).
Unlike OTA workouts, NFL players are subjected to automatic fines when skipping the mandatory camps, minus an excused absence.
