The Raiders are the first NFL team to lose a draft pick over coronavirus protocol violations, as they’ll lose a sixth-round selection for repeated missteps related to the virus.
The league will strip the Raiders of the pick in 2021, according to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, in addition to significant fines against the team and head coach Jon Gruden. ESPN and NFL Network have confirmed the Yahoo report.
The Raiders organization will be hit with a fine of $500,000 while Gruden faces a $150,000 bill himself.
Gruden declined comment when reached by this news organization Thursday evening. The NFL has not yet responded to a request for confirmation.
Robinson reports that the deciding factor in the NFL’s discipline is related to Trent Brown’s October stint on the COVID reserve list.
The Raiders offensive line was reportedly seen on video spending time together unmasked around the time of Brown’s positive test, and an NFL investigation reportedly found Brown removed his league-mandated tracking device.
Brown was again placed on the league’s coronavirus reserve list Thursday, despite coming off the list and nearly playing against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.