Raiders Players Draw Heat For Not Wearing Masks At Waller’s Charity Event, Violating Coronavirus Protocols
By Cassandra Cousineau for LVSportsBiz.com
As the NFL is coping with a COVID-19 outbreak of three players and five staff members of the Tennessee Titans this week, Las Vegas Raiders plater Darren Waller hosted a gala for his non-profit at the Dragon Ridge Country Club in Las Vegas.
The gala became newsworthy because videos from the Tuesday evening event show several mask-less Raiders players, including quarterback Derek Carr and tight end Jason Witten, interacting with what appeared to be double the allowable 50 attendees per the state of Nevada’s emergency directive number.
Before the 2020 season started, rules from the NFL and NFLPA were created to limit what players are allowed to do away from their team facilities this season to try to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Among the banned activities are entertainment events, house gatherings of more than 15 people without everyone wearing masks, and indoor night clubs with more than 10 people in attendance.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden offered this comment on the matter:
In fact, LVSportsBiz.com reported only a month ago on the NFLPA President JC Tretter of the Cleveland Browns saying, “We must remain vigilant to avoid getting lax with protocol enforcement. We have seen other sports experience setbacks and outbreaks, in part because they stopped prioritizing the safety measures put into place. Our collective efforts cannot stop until we complete a full season.” You can read all of Tretter’s comments here.
The news about players not wearing masks at a social occasion had to be particularly frustrating for Raiders owner Mark Davis, as the Raiders franchise was already been fined $250,000, and Gruden was hit with a punishment of $100,000 for failure to follow proper face-covering protocol.
Add to that, the league is looking into how an employee who didn’t have credentialed access to the team’s locker room was able to make it through the multiple security checkpoints.
As of Oct. 1, the gathering limit for indoor and outdoor events in Clark County will be raised to no more than 250 people. LVSportsBiz.com is publishing the official policy from Gov. Steve Sisolak’s statement Wednesday:
“The new directive adjusts previous the limitation on gatherings from 50 people to 250 people or 50 percent of occupancy, whichever is less. This applies to both indoor and outdoor venues, including houses of worship. As mentioned during yesterday’s announcement and in the accompanying “Guidance for Safe Gatherings” that was issued, there are processes set forth for expanded capacity for larger venues and conferences or conventions, should additional requirements be met.”
Even if the 28-year-old Waller, a tight end who has an incredible backstory of overcoming drug addiction stemming from his teenage years had waited a few days, few if any of those attendees wore masks or practiced any noticeable social distance as they mingled and sat at tables.
While photos from Waller’s foundation’s Instagram page have since been deleted, LVSportsbiz.com was able to find a few still lingering on the pages of several attendees. They appear earlier in this story.
The Darren Waller Foundation fundraiser to help young people overcome drug and alcohol addiction wasn’t an official Raiders event. However, the team did participate and owner Davis personally donated money to the cause.
The Sports Business Daily also reported that the NFL threatens suspensions on coaches and staffers not wearing face masks on the sidelines and coaching booths.
