The NFL and the Ravens have a major issue to clean up following their handling of Dez Bryant, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night.
After months of preaching an “abundance of caution” in combating COVID-19 and fining players and teams hundreds of thousands of dollars, the NFL reversed course on Tuesday and made a mockery of their own COVID-19 policies.
After removing Bryant from the field just minutes before kickoff, the league issued statements through media outlets that contract tracing had been done (somehow in only a matter of minutes) and no players were deemed to be in close contact with Bryant.
But thanks to a member of the Ravens media team, we know the league made no real effort to figure out what Bryant was actually doing before the game. This tweet was apparently deleted within minutes of the news that Bryant had tested positive.
—————
And this is where the story gets really messy.
Why did the Ravens editorial director delete his tweet showing Bryant essentially rubbing faces with members of the Cowboys and if it was an innocent decision to delete the tweet, why is he not running around now like a Tasmanian devil trying to protect the players and coaches that may have been exposed?
Now that the league has photo evidence of what happened, why aren’t they taking the situation seriously?
At this point it feels more like a cover-up job by the Ravens and/or the NFL, doesn’t it?
Remember the Raiders were crushed with fines and lost a draft pick for a series of oversights that we realize now aren’t very important to the league (at least when the consequences hit their own pockets). And it’s worth noting that the Raiders never actually transmitted the virus throughout their locker room. The league was just utilizing an “abundance of caution” by holding players out for five days before the Raiders faced the Bucs and the Chiefs.
So where was the abundance of caution on Tuesday night?
Nowhere to be found, in fact.
Unfortunately for the league, this time it looks like they are the ones responsible if more coronavirus cases turn up on the Ravens and/or the Cowboys in the days ahead.
They going to just fine themselves?
twitter: @raidersbeat
Rules for thee but not for me… Hypocrates doth sayeth.
It is no mystery why the Raiders are always one of the top 3 penalized teams in the NFL year in and year out for years! Typically they are the most penalized, but a few times over the last 3 decades fell to 2 or 3. The NFL has had a bias against the Raiders since they beat the NFL in court when the NFL tried to stop them from moving to LA, the back to Oakland and when they were considering moving back to LA during the Al Davis years. The NFL has not forgotten those losses in court and have been hell bent on getting revenge against the Raiders via referee. The tuck rule was a fine example where the Raiders were bound for the AFC Championship game, but the referees invented the tuck rule on the field during that game in order to screw the Raiders out of what would have been certain victory and gave the game to the Patriots. That is just one example of hundreds where the referees changed the outcome of the game against the Raiders. The same coaches and players come and go from other teams to be Raiders, but before or after they play for the Raiders, no penalty problems. They become Raiders and become chronic penalty committers! The bullshit covid penalties are just another example of that bias. It’s a bummer when sports, where people go to get away from the fraud, unfairness and politics of every day life to watch competition where the rules are supposed to be applied evenly on a level playing field have to watch more fraud and corruption. The NFL has cheapened their brand and made real sports a scripted fake wrestling spectacle! Time for another Commissioner that has enough sense not to ruin his sport by playing the bias game!
Amen Kent, I couldn’t have said it better myself… seeing this only infuriates me further with how the NFL runs the league and continues to ruin the sport in many of the fans eyes who truly watch and observe the flat out parity from week to week and especially now that the world is faced with a pandemic that is only being smeared into a couple of teams faces when it comes to how they choose to set examples, pass out discipline or make the rules as it goes. I have witnessed so many games where coaches have removed their masks to yell out a play call or communicate and never see discipline of any type days after. Imagine how tough it is for all the players who play for these teams to gut the fact that they will be cheated one way or another by a league who continues to taint the sport that they work hard everyday of their lives to showcase their talents an entertain the world. Flat out disgusting in my eyes… Another new one to ponder on is how the CDC comes out weeks after to tell the country that we can no longer use a face shield “Chiefs” to protect yourself from the spread of the virus and still the league hasn’t been honorable enough to remove the fines it has passed upon the couple of coaches that it passed out fines/discipline too. “Integrity” Whats that??
Anything involving penalizing a team we already know, as the past has proven the Raiders are a team that has been, and still are, a targeted team. Anything relating to COVID has shown incredible inconsistencies and flat out hypocrisy regardless of industry. And yes I’m a Californian and I couldn’t tell you from one day to the next what is acceptable and what isn’t in terms of COVID as it seems to change daily as our leaders lead with words but speak very different with action.
Mark Davis and Mayock need to handle their business, and deal with the hypocrisy of the league and their biased and selectively discriminate policies. Stand up for your rights…don’t give up the fight!
Just win baby…for the Nation!!!
The NFL is about at legitimate as WWF. They have who they want to win and lose and they have different sets of rules depending on which team – and the refs follow them like the Roller Derby Refs do. It would be comical if it wasn’t so sad and obvious. The NFL is ALL about money and is scripted more than Friday Night SmackDown is.
Yeah Washington Football Team! I just caught up on the game. Did you guys watch it? They past the 49ers. So I guess that puts them 1st place in the NFC East right? That’s so awesome!!