5 NFL teams and coaches who didn’t wear masks during games face more than $1 million in fines

Two more NFL teams, the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders, are being fined $250,000 each because their head coaches were not wearing face coverings during a game Monday, a league source told CNN on Tuesday.

The head coaches, Sean Payton of the Saints and Jon Gruden of the Raiders, are being fined $100,000 each, the source said.

When asked about not wearing his mask in a postgame interview on Monday, Gruden said he would accept the fine if it’s ordered.

“I’m doing my best. I’ve had the virus. OK? I’m doing my best. I’m very sensitive about it,” Gruden said. “But I’m calling plays. I just want to communicate these situations. I apologize. And if I get fined, I will have to pay the fine. I’m very sensitive about all of that, and I apologize.”

CNN has reached out to the Raiders and Saints for comment. Payton, in March, was the first NFL figure to publicly acknowledge he had tested positive for coronavirus.

On Monday, three other NFL teams — the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers — were fined because their coaches were not wearing face coverings during games on Sunday, a source told CNN.

The three head coaches of those teams — Seattle’s Pete Carroll, Denver’s Vic Fangio and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan — were fined $100,000 apiece, the source said.

CNN has reached out to all three teams seeking comment regarding the fines.

A week ago, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, sent a memo to clubs cautioning coaching personnel to wear their masks at all times. In the memo, Vincent said failure to adhere to the protocols in place would lead to sanctions, according to quotes within the memo obtained by CNN from a league source.

The memo came after several NFL coaches were seen not following league protocols for face coverings during the first NFL Sunday since the coronavirus pandemic.

“We must remain vigilant and disciplined in following the processes and protocols put in place by not only the league, union and clubs, but also by state and local governments,” Vincent said in the memo. “The NFL-NFLPA Game Day Protocol, which reflects the advice of infectious disease experts, club medical staffs and local and state governmental regulations requires all individuals with bench area access (including coaches and members of the club medical staff) to wear face coverings at all times.”