Several Las Vegas Raiders players attended a charity event held by teammate Darren Waller that violated Nevada rules for the coronavirus pandemic and might have broken NFL regulations.
The Darren Waller Foundation held a fundraising event at the DragonRidge Country Club in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson on Monday night. The money being raised was intended to help young people overcome drug and alcohol addiction.
Players were seen on video without masks during the indoor event while talking and mingling with guests, who also weren’t wearing masks.
The City of Henderson fined the country club $2,000 on Tuesday for four violations of the Nevada governor's COVID-19 emergency directives, including people not wearing masks and more than 50 people at the event. The club has 30 days to pay the fine or dispute it.
Among the players in attendance were quarterbacks Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman, tight ends Jason Witten, Foster Moreau and Derek Carrier, receiver Zay Jones, cornerback Nevin Lawson, and Waller.
Rules from the NFL and NFLPA limit what players are allowed to do away from team facilities this season to try to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Players are banned from attending any event that “violates local and state restrictions.”
“We obviously take responsibility for this,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You don’t like seeing this. I don’t know that it’s actually been built into our memories that you have to wear a mask. Our organization takes it very seriously.”
The NFL and a representative from Waller’s foundation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The event came the night before the NFL announced that the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings had to , because three Titans players and five personnel tested positive for the coronavirus following a game between the teams on Sunday.
This is the latest possible infraction of the COVID-19 protocols by the Raiders early this season. A person familiar with the punishments said coach Jon Gruden was fined $100,000 and the team fined $250,000 because he failed to wear his mask properly on the sideline during a Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league hadn’t made any announcement.
The team is also being investigated for allowing an unauthorized team employee in the locker room after the Saints game.
Gruden also said after the Saints game that he had the coronavirus in July and stressed that the team is taking it seriously.
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