Darren Waller, tight end (#83) for the Las Vegas Raiders, hosts his first annual “Beyond The Wall” gala to benefit The Darren Waller Foundation at Dragon Ridge Country Club Monday, Sept. 27, 2020. The foundation helps youth avoid and overcome drug and alcohol addiction.
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 | 2:24 p.m.
Related content
Despite multiple violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols — including an apparent breach on Monday in which several high-profile players were caught mingling in a crowded ballroom without masks — the Raiders believe the team is doing an “excellent job” in the battle against the coronavirus.
That was the message head coach Jon Gruden tried to convey in the aftermath of the latest scandal, when team leaders Derek Carr, Darren Waller and Jason Witten were among a handful of players who went maskless at a charity event in Henderson on Monday.
Cameras at the indoor event, a fundraiser for the Darren Waller Foundation at DragonRidge Country Club, captured the players in close proximity to people while not adhering to any virus precautions.
After Carr, Waller, Witten, Hunter Renfrow and Nathan Peterson were caught flouting COVID-19 protocols at the charity event, Gruden insisted the team is doing everything it can to follow the rules.
“We’ve done a good job,” Gruden said during his Wednesday press conference. “We’ve done an excellent job. Last night it was addressed with our players. They walked in with their masks on, sometimes you go to a restaurant, take your mask off. They’re aware of their mistake but we’ve done an excellent job, using our masks, taking care of each other. I’m really proud of our players.”
The Raiders have had team-wide issues when it comes to taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously. After the team’s first game at Allegiant Stadium in Week 2, Gruden was fined $100,000 and the franchise was fined $250,000 due to the coach’s refusal to properly wear a mask or face covering during the contest. The NFL also opened an investigation into the team allowing unauthorized personnel into the locker room following that game, which would be a violation of strict league rules put in place to help limit exposure to the virus.
DragonRidge Country Club was reportedly fined $2,000 for violating the state’s capacity guidelines. According to NFL rules instituted for this season, players are required to wear masks in public and can be fined up to $14,650 for each infraction.
Carr opened his Wednesday press conference with a statement about the incident.
“I feel like we’ve done a fantastic job around here and I hate that a few moments without our masks on led to a story about our team,” Carr said, “especially after the fines that were brought on a couple weeks ago. We felt terrible about that.”
Carr said the players spent much of the event in a separate room and only removed their masks for a brief period of time.
He acknowledged that was a mistake.
“We admit we should have kept the masks on,” Carr said.
Carr didn’t say whether the NFL had contacted any of the players about the incident.
The first two weeks of the NFL season went off relatively smoothly, but this week nine Tennessee Titans players tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the league to postpone Sunday’s Tennessee-Pittsburgh game to Monday or Tuesday.
The Raiders are scheduled to host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Gruden, who last week announced that he had coronavirus over the summer, believes the players learned their lesson.
“They may have let their guard down a little bit by taking their masks off during the event, but it’s been addressed,” Gruden said. “That’s the best I can tell you.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy