Saints docked 2022 pick for COVID-19 violations, Raiders fined

The New Orleans Saints will forfeit their sixth-round pick in 2022 and be fined $700,000 for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols during the 2020 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Las Vegas Raiders were also fined $800,000, according to ESPN's Mike Triplett.

The news comes shortly after league spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith that the Saints and Raiders won't be stripped of 2021 draft selections for not adhering to the protocols.

Multiple reports surfaced during the season stating that both clubs would forfeit picks for failing to follow the league's policies.

Those reports indicated the league hit Vegas with a fine and stripped it of a sixth-round pick for multiple health and safety violations. The Saints also committed several violations that reportedly garnered an initial $500,000 penalty and the loss of a seventh-round selection.

But the league announced the full 2021 draft order Friday, and both teams' original slots are unchanged.

It appears the Saints and Raiders appealed their respective punishments and the clubs' picks for this April were returned, according to Smith. The league decided to hand New Orleans an additional penalty, though McCarthy didn't provide an official explanation for that decision.

Two teams will forfeit picks this year. The New England Patriots are losing a third-round selection for filming the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline, while the Minnesota Vikings are giving up a seventh-rounder due to a salary-cap violation.

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