The NFL is fining the #Saints and #Raiders $250,000 each and coaches Sean Payton and Jon Gruden $100,000 each for failing to properly wear face coverings in the bench area Monday night, per source.
That brings the total to $1.75 million in total fines for violations in Week 2.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 22, 2020
As anyone who has worn a face mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic knows, it’s hard to talk behind that thing. But it’s no excuse to not wear one, especially in the workplace. And the NFL reminded New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton of that with a hefty fine after he didn’t keep his mask up during a Week 2 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Payton was fined $100,000 for his negligence, with the Saints organization receiving a $250,000 penalty (all fines are paid into the NFL General Fund). Raiders coach Jon Gruden and his team were hit with the same fines for the same problem, joining a list of other NFL coaches who had been penalized for not following protocols around the league.
Payton did take the field wearing a neck gaiter, which he lowered from across his nose and mouth as the game wore on. While Payton has already contracted the novel coronavirus and recovered earlier this year (repeat infections are rare), if nothing else it’s bad for optics to have the leader of an organization not following procedure.
But while it is important for the NFL to emphasize everyone follow the rules during a public health crisis, it feels disingenuous to bring the hammer down on coaches working games when the Dallas Cowboys just crammed more than 21,000 fans into AT&T Stadium, many of whom were neither wearing masks nor social distancing. It feels like a situation where the NFL wants to have it both ways.
