Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden defended the way the team has handled the coronavirus despite it being hit with a hefty penalty for violations from the league.
A person familiar with the punishment said the team was fined $500,000, Gruden docked $150,000 and the team stripped of a sixth-round draft pick because of how the Raiders handled Trent Brown's positive coronavirus test last month. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.
"I'm just going to say, very proud of our organization, how we have handled this entire protocol and this entire process and I'm not going to comment any further than that," Gruden said Friday. "I believe we're on the cutting edge of being the best at servicing players and I'll leave it at that."
The team is appealing the punishment.
The Raiders have been penalized several times this season for violating coronavirus protocols, with the punishments leading to a total of more than $1.2 million for the team, Gruden and players. They are the first to be penalized a draft pick following multiple violations.
The league has been busy handing out discipline to teams violating protocols.
On Friday, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100,000 and the club $250,000 because coaches improperly wore facial coverings last Sunday, a person with knowledge of the fines told the Associated Press.
All games on
All NFL games are on for this weekend while teams deal with COVID-19 issues.
