Saints Facing Punishment For COVID-19 Protocol Violations

The Saints are once again under fire for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols. As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports, the NFL is expected to discipline the Saints in the coming days after videos of the team’s postgame celebration of last Sunday’s win over the Bucs — videos that revealed protocol violations — were posted to social media.

New Orleans thrashed division-rival Tampa Bay on the road in primetime last week, so there was plenty to celebrate. But in the video that was posted to the Saints’ official Twitter account following the game, and in videos that players posted to their own social media accounts, multiple players were seen not wearing masks.

While players are not required to wear masks during the game, they are required to do so in the locker room. So it’s clear that the team was in violation of protocols, and since the Saints now qualify as repeat offenders, their punishment could be stiff.

After the club’s Week 2 loss to the Raiders, head coach Sean Payton was fined $100K and the Saints were fined $250K because Payton was not wearing his mask during the game. The Raiders themselves were recently stripped of a sixth-round pick for multiple violations of COVID-19 protocols, and it’s possible that New Orleans could face a similar fate.

At the very least, the Saints can probably expect another hefty fine. Along with the forfeiture of a sixth-round draft choice, Las Vegas was docked $500K for its most recent transgressions.

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