The Las Vegas Raiders once again have broken the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. This time, the NFL, in addition to fining the Raiders and Coach Jon Gruden a whopping $650,000, went further by docking the team’s sixth-round pick.
Gruden was fined $150,000 and the Raiders were fined $500,000.
The move was was in response to how the team had handled Trent Brown‘s positive coronavirus test.
This is not the first punishment the team had received, but it is the harshest one the Raiders has been given and makes them the first team in the league to lose a pick because of protocol violations.
The sum of all the previous fines comes to a total of $1,215,000.
On October 19, the day before Brown tested positive, he broke social distancing rules and did not wear a mask while he was around teammates. This recklessness caused four other teammates to be placed on the team’s COVID-19 list as “high-risk contacts.” This hurt the team’s performance in their week six loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Las Vega’s safety Johnathan Abram had to miss that game because he was with Brown and was not cleared until October 26. In addition, the four teammates who were placed on the COVID-19 list were the teams starting offensive linemen.
Brown who was activated from the COVID-19 list last week was set to play against the Cleveland Browns but did not. This was due to an issue with an IV that forced him to go to the hospital. On Thursday, the offensive tackle was placed back on the COVID-19 list because he was displaying more symptoms.
The Raiders season has been plagued with repeated violations and fines. Gruden himself had coronavirus in July. In week two, Gruden was fined $100,000 and the team was docked $200,000 when he did not wear a mask properly. The team had been fined another $50,000 for allowing an unauthorized employee into the locker room.
In addition, Darren Waller, Derek Carr and nine others who were fined for breaking coronavirus protocols. During a charity event held by Waller’s foundation, they were all seen not wearing masks and breaking social distancing. As a result, Waller and nine others were fined $30,000 and Carr was fined $15,000.
