Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis isn’t taking kindly or accepting the NFL’s decision to fine his team, head coach Jon Gruden, and strip the Silver and Black of a draft pick over COVID-19 violations.
“The fines are draconian,” Davis told ESPN on Friday. “But we will appeal them. Outside the organization, people have the wrong impression about the Raiders. We take it seriously. It’s unfortunate that certain things outside the protocol are the things being focused on, rather than the positive steps we’ve taken as an organization. You’ve been in the building. You’ve seen it.”
The Raiders have already been fined 1.185 million for breaking COVID-19 protocols thus far, and the Raiders are the first team to lose a draft pick over the violations.
The most recent decision came down Thursday and saw the team stripped of a sixth-round pick, fined $500,000 and Gruden docked another $150K.
“We definitely take the virus seriously,” Davis said. “We definitely take the protocols seriously. We are not willingly violating protocol. And anyone inside our building will attest to that.