Maskless coaches, teams fined
Source says Saints’ Payton and Raiders’ Gruden are culprits
Two more NFL head coaches and their teams have been fined for not wearing masks on the sideline.
A person with knowledge of the punishment said Tuesday that Jon Gruden of the Raiders and Sean Payton of the Saints were each fined $100,000 for not wearing masks on the sideline on Monday night.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the league wasn’t announcing specific fines, said the teams were also fined $250,000 for the infractions. The league already handed out similar punishments to Denver’s Vic Fangio, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Seattle’s Pete Carroll, the person said.
Gruden apologized after the game for failing to wear his mask and also acknowledged for the first time that he had the coronavirus during the offseason.
“I don’t want to get into it really,” he said Tuesday. “It wasn’t pleasant. It was reported that I made up that I had the virus and it really ticked me off, because
I would never do something like that. But it’s a very serious matter, and obviously I’m sensitive about it. It was a tough deal, that’s for sure, just like everybody else that’s had it.”
Payton also had the coronavirus this offseason.
The punishments come a week after the NFL warned all 32 teams in a memo about following the rules for wearing face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic lest they put the NFL season at risk. giants: Placed running back Saquon Barkley on injured reserve Tuesday, a day after confirming the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year tore his right ACL. The Giants made the move Tuesday and replaced Barkley’s roster spot by signing cornerback Ryan Lewis off the practice squad.
Jets: Signed wide receiver Josh Malone to the active roster Tuesday after he was elevated from the practice squad for the first two games. The team also announced it placed cornerback Arthur Maulet on the injured reserve list and released linebacker Paul Worrilow from the practice squad. Broncos: Denver is in the process of adding free agent Blake Bortles to serve as their backup quarterback, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Broncos haven’t announced the signing, said the seven-year veteran is going through COVID-19 protocols after agreeing to a one-year deal. Bortles, the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, won’t be able to join the team until the weekend.