The Raiders are reportedly likely to lose draft pick over COVID
The NFL is prepared to punish the Raiders’ repeated breaches of the league’s COVID policy by docking them draft capital in the future.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have used the NFL draft to rebuild their roster over the last few seasons. The franchise’s poor handling of the current COVID crisis permeating the league could make that more difficult in the near future.
NFL officials have already fined the franchise and Gruden as an individual over COVID issues. The team was penalized for allowing unauthorized personnel to enter the locker room. Gruden was fined because of his failure to observe proper mask-wearing procedure on the sideline.
The fact that several team members attended a large, indoor event in Las Vegas without wearing masks means the franchise now can be identified as “repeat offenders” by the NFL. The league will detail new policies and penalties for teams that fall into that category in a mandatory call on Monday.
It’s believed that Las Vegas is likely going to lose some measure of draft capital. There’s been no reporting to date in terms of how severe the penalty might be. The league wants to make it clear to everyone how serious it is taking the current health crisis. That puts the Raiders in serious jeopardy of losing a pick, or picks, which could severely limit their ability to acquire talent in next season’s draft.
Next. Raiders fined for COVID-19 shortcomings. dark
The Raiders took great pride in being rebels during Al Davis’ tenure as the team’s owner, but no one in Las Vegas will take any pride in how the team has flaunted COVID regulations in recent weeks. If they do lose draft compensation it will serve as a sobering reminder for other teams how serious the league is about protecting everyone’s safety.