By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The National Football League has hammered the Las Vegas Raiders for COVID-19 protocol violations.
The NFL fined the Raiders $500,000 and Raiders coach Jon Gruden another $150,000, plus took away a sixth-round draft pick after offensive tackle Trent Brown was infected with the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and players failed to comply with the league’s protocol guidelines designed to mitigate the spread of the virus, according to multiple media reports. Brown was placed back on the COVID-19 list Thursday.
This comes a month after the league cracked down on the Raiders for coronavirus protocol violations, including Raiders tight end Darren Waller, who held his foundation’s fund-raiser in Henderson more than four weeks ago. He was fined $30,000. Nine other Raiders players were there, too, at the fund-raiser and they were previously fined a total of $165,000.
Gruden responded Friday by not responding: “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll be happy to talk about the Chargers. Like I said, I’m really proud of the guys that I work with here. We’ve done a heck of a job. It’s a very difficult process and I stand by what we’re doing here. I believe we’re doing a heck of a job. We can always get better and that’s obvious.”
I’m just going to say, very proud of our organization, how we have handled this entire protocol and this entire process and I’m not going to comment any further than that. As I said last week, I believe we’re on the cutting edge of being the best at servicing players and I’ll leave it at that. — Raiders coach Jon Gruden
The Tennessee Titans were also fined for protocol violations last month.
The NFL is coming down hard on the Raiders because the league does not want to cancel games and change the schedule because of COVID-19 breakouts in teams. Even in August, NFLPA President JC Tretter of the Cleveland Browns warned players to not let their guard down against the virus. The league’s wiggle room to change games is getting smaller because of the games already moved on the schedule.
Unlike the NBA and NHL, the NFL is not deploying an environmental bubble to try and stem the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed the lives of more than 230,000 Americans.
Even before the NFL season started, the construction companies that built the Raiders’ 65,000-seat domed Allegiant Stadium were fined by Nevada OSHA for worker distancing problems. The Mortenson-McCarthy joint venture said in July it would appeal OSHA’s $13,494 federal fine.
The Raiders (4-3) play the Chargers (2-5) in LA on Sunday, before returning to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a scheduled game against the Broncos Nov. 15. The Chiefs then come to Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 22, according to the NFL schedule. Keep in mind the NFL already moved a Raiders’ primetime Sunday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Bucs Oct. 25 to a Sunday 1 p.m. start because of coronavirus problems.