The NFL has no problem dishing out COVID-19 fines!
The list of teaming getting slapped with hefty fines and lost draft picks in the NFL continues to grow by the day.
Unlike other professional sports and NCAA football programs, the National Football League is visibly upset that a handful of players, coaches, and teams have experienced outbreaks of COVID-19 that have delayed games - like in the case of the Tennessee Titans - and we have seen team like the San Francisco 49ers lose their entire wide receiver group for a game (last night against the Packers, they had one wideout from the 53-man roster available).
So, to give you guys an idea of what everyone's least favorite commissioner Roger Goodell has done in response to a few outbreaks of the virus, here are the fines and disciplinary actions the NFL's front office has taken in the last month.
The Tennessee Titans' outbreak
The Titans were the first team to have an outbreak that forced the game against the Steelers in Week 4 to be rescheduled for Week 7 and the two teams had their respective byes moved up to that week.
Via CBSSports, here is the ruling given to Tennessee:
The NFL has announced that Tennessee has been fined $350,000 following a league investigation into the team's COVID outbreak. From Sept. 24 to Oct. 11, the Titans had a total of 24 members of their organization test positive for the coronavirus.
After a thorough investigation, the NFL was not able to determine with certainty that the Titans' intentionally violated the league's COVID-19 policy and ignored mask mandates. Titans' head coach Mike Vrabel was adamant in his press conferences during the investigation process that the franchise did nothing wrong, however, a hefty fine was enforced nonetheless.
The Las Vegas Raiders' outbreak
The Las Vegas Raiders have accrued A LOT of fines for not following the league's protocols. Is it more deserved than the Titans? Based off of the amounts that the team and head coach Jon Gruden have been fined, I would say so.
Just today, according to sources at ESPN, "The Raiders have been fined $500,000 and stripped of a sixth-round pick in the and coach Jon Gruden has been fined an additional $150,000 by the NFL for what one source described to ESPN as "brazen and repeated violations of [COVID-19] protocols."
This is the second fine slapped on Las Vegas and its head coach! At the beginning of the season, "the team was fined $250,000 and Gruden $100,000 for his not wearing a mask properly during the team's Week 2 home opener, and the team was fined an additional $50,000 for allowing a non-credentialed employee access to the locker room following that game."
Do they not understand what is going on here? Does Gruden really not care at all about the repercussions of these fines or losing a draft pick? The NFL may be intense with some of these fines, but these here sure do seem justified.
During a charity event, tight end Darren Waller and nine other players were fined by the league for interacting with the general public without masks on.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' outbreak
The most recent team to receive disciplinary action is the last undefeated team in the league. No one is safe from the wrath of Goodell and the Steelers have been hit with a $250,000 fine for not wearing masks, meanwhile, coach Mike Tomlin was fined an additional $100,000 for not wearing his mask on the sideline.
The NFL is going to have a pretty substantial pile of cash from fines alone sitting around this offseason. Expect to see more fines and actions taken against teams that have an outbreak. The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers are likely next up.
