Raiders owner Mark Davis defended his organization’s commitment Friday to fighting the coronavirus the day after the NFL reportedly imposed heavy fines as well as the loss of a 2021 draft pick for being in violation of COVID-19 protocols.
Although the NFL has made no announcement, Yahoo! and several other media outlets reported the Raiders would be fined $500,000 and coach Jon Gruden $150,000 as well as the loss of a sixth-round selection.
“It’s draconian, but there are protocols and they feel that we have violated them,” Davis said in a phone interview. “That’s the fine they put down. There’s an appeal process and I don’t want to get into that too much. All I can say is that as an organization, we take it very seriously. We don’t slack off on it. Unfortunately, people from the outside are getting a false impression.
“We’re really taking it seriously. I think the players and Jon, there’s false perception of what’s going on with the Raiders from the outside. I think that’s unfair. I really do. We’ll see how it goes.”
Davis said the Raiders have appealed all organization coronavirus related fines with the exception of a $50,000 fine levied after a Week 2 win over New Orleans for having an unauthorized person in the locker room. On Sept. 22, the Raiders were fined $250,000 and Gruden $100,000 for not wearing face masks properly on the sideline in the New Orleans game.
On Oct. 5, tight end Darren Waller was fined $30,000 and several teammates including quarterback Derek Carr received $15,000 fines for not wearing masks at a fundraiser hosted by Waller’s foundation.
Appeals for organizations and management are heard by the “commissioner or his designee,” an NFL spokesperson told this news organization.
Gruden, in a teleconference, defended the Raiders’ handling of coronavirus prevention.
“I’m just going to say I’m very proud of our organization how we’ve handled this entire protocol and this entire process,” Gruden said. ” not going to comment any more than that. I believe we’re on the cutting edge of being the best . . . . I’ll leave it at that.”
Asked if the Raiders were being made an example by the NFL, Gruden said, “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll be happy to talk about the Chargers. I’m really proud of the guys that I work with here. We’ve done a heck of a job, it’s very difficult, a very difficult process and I stand by what we’re doing here. I think we’re doing a heck of a job. We can always get better, and that’s obvious.”
Davis, when asked the same question, said, “Are we being made an example of? I’m not going to make those determinations. But I do know how seriously we take the virus. We’re not going to slack off, we haven’t slacked off, and it’s something we all have deal with in our every day lives.”
Included in the most recent fines was tackle Trent Brown reportedly not wearing his mandatory tracking device within the facility and the offensive line gathering as a group without face masks.
“It’s really tough, you’re playing football, they’re at practice, not wearing a mask, and then to come off the field there are other protocols,” Davis said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time everything is being followed.”
Players are tested daily at the facility. The Raiders are one of a handful of teams that has attending media on a testing schedule.
