We’re over a week since the Raiders season ended with a loss in Denver, but a few of their players are still seeing the after-effects of it. The largest punishment came down on Nevin Lawson who was suspended for one game for using his helmet as a weapon. He will serve that during the first game of next season.
Lawson wasn’t the only Raiders defender to be punished though. A couple other Raiders will be a little lighter in the wallet; both for unnecessary roughness penalties. Safety Erik Harris was fined $28,075 and defensive end Josh Mauro was fined $10,527.
Jon Gruden took issue with Erik Harris’s penalty in particular. He gave the officials an earful on the sideline.
“I thought it was a heck of a play,” Gruden said of Harris’s hit on Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton. “I think some of these bang-bang collisions, the quarterback should be penalized for throwing the ball in there. I mean, I thought Harris went in there with his shoulder, no head at all, but I think his target needs to be better. That’s the reaction I got to learn from and take from that. That was a big play of the game, sure.”
The Broncos were up 10-3 in the third quarter and the roughing penalty helped move them into field goal range to allow them to take a 13-3 lead.
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