Report: Raiders fined, stripped draft pick for COVID-19 protocol violations
The NFL is handing the Las Vegas Raiders a $500,000 fine and stripping the team of a sixth-round draft pick for violating COVID-19 protocols, Yahoo's Charles Robinson reports, citing sources.
Head coach Jon Gruden is also being fined $150,000, according to Robinson.
The punishment stems from right tackle Trent Brown's positive COVID-19 result in October and the Raiders' repeated flouting of the league's protocols, Robinson adds.
Brown was placed on the team's COVID-19 list in late October. The NFL and NFLPA then conducted a review into whether Brown failed to consistently wear his COVID-19 tracking device prior to testing positive. The rest of the offensive line were deemed close contacts of Brown and were sent home prior to their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brown was again placed on the COVID-19 list Thursday after he reportedly experienced complications from the virus.
The team penalties stem from Gruden's failure to properly wear a mask on the sidelines in Week 2, an unauthorized employee being allowed to enter the locker room after that game, and a charity event in which players were seen without masks in late September.
The Raiders are being punished for "brazen and repeated" violations of its coronavirus-related protocols and are at risk of more severe penalties for continued violations, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports.
The Raiders have now surpassed $1.2 million in fines for COVID-19 violations.