NFLPA rejects rule changes

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The NFL Players Association did not approve rule changes involving the injured reserve list and the trade deadline, ESPN's John Clayton confirmed Wednesday.

The IR rule change, voted in by owners in May, would have provided an extra roster spot to temporarily replace a player who suffers a major injury but would be able to return for the second half of the season.

Under the current rules, if a player suffers a major injury before the regular-season opener and the team doesn't have the roster space to carry him until he's healthy, the player is put on IR and is lost for the season.

The other rule change in flux had to do with the trade deadline. Owners approved a two-week extension of the trade deadline in May. Instead of the deadline ending after the sixth week of the regular season, the new rule would have extended the deadline to the Tuesday of Week 8 at 4 p.m. ET.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told FoxSports.com on Wednesday that, according to the rules of the CBA, the NFLPA had to approve both changes.

"There was no agreement on it with the union," Aiello said in an email to FoxSports.com. "The old rules apply."

The proposed rule changes were linked to changes to in-season practice rules, a source told FoxSports.com. Under that scenario, the NFLPA refused to accept.

"The changes would have meant one step forward and one step back," NFL executive George Atallah said in an email to FoxSports.com.

Information from senior NFL writer John Clayton was used in this report.

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