IRVING, Texas – Absences from an organized team activity in May should not be viewed as harmful.

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Rolando McClain is tending to a family matter that led to his absence Wednesday. Jack Crawford is in London, getting a visa situation worked out. Rookie tight end Rico Gathers is finishing classwork at Baylor but should be in attendance next week. Several players in attendance were limited in their work because of surgeries or kept out altogether.

Ronald Leary is skipping OTAs after requesting a trade. AP Photo/Kevin Terrell

But Garrett’s strongest words came for offensive lineman Ronald Leary.

Leary has skipped the Cowboys’ offseason program, including the first two OTAs, as he hopes for a trade to a team that will allow him to start. He signed the one-year tender worth $2.553 million before the draft in hopes of facilitating a trade but one never materialized.

"That's a contract situation that he and his agent feel it's best for him to stay away," Garrett said. "We don't think it's good for him. We don't think it's good for our team, but that's how they're handling the situation right now.”

The offseason program and OTAs are voluntary. The only mandatory event of the offseason is the June minicamp. If Leary skips that, he would face a fine.

Why isn’t it good for Leary to miss the OTAs?

"It's best to be here working and just going back to business,” Garrett said. “Take care of your business as a professional on a daily basis, and usually good things happen for you."