#5 Las Vegas Raiders fined for Covid-19 violations
The 2020 season has not been particularly kind to the Las Vegas Raiders. They have a 4-3 record at the time of this writing and a history of Covid-19 incidents. From Jon Gruen not wearing his mask correctly during a game against the Saints and then getting caught with unauthorized personnel in the locker room after the game, the Raiders have been making a joke of protocol.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, this has resulted in a 500,000$ team fine and a 150,000$ fine for John Gruden, who has repeatedly allowed his team to break protocol. The Raiders were also stripped of a 2021 sixth-round pick., which will likely hurt them in the draft. This all came after the Trent Brown incident, which was the result of several violations on the part of the team.
If they had just bothered to follow protocol like they were asked, key players would be on the field and not on the Covid-19 reserve list.
#4 Kolton Miller misses practice all week
The Las Vegas Raiders o-line has had terrible luck this season, and it looks like it will continue into Sunday s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. This is because tackle Kolton Miller was missing from practice all week and will likely not participate in Sunday s game. The Raiders are also missing Trent Brown and Richie Incognito, who are both on the injury reserve list.
Raiders have 483 offensive snaps and LT Kolton Miller has played all of them. Had 1,019 last year and Miller played all of them. Jerry McDonald said in a tweet earlier this week regarding the potential absence of Kolton Miller, he Played 97 pct snaps as a rookie. He has yet to practice this week (ankle). If he’s out, that’s huge.
Of course, Brown is on the list due to testing positive for Covid-19 late in October, but it will still be a big loss for the team overall. In fact, it could result in Derek Carr taking a lot of dangerous shots this week.
#3 Kurt Busch hints at retirement during interview
Kurt Busch has been racing at the Cup level for 20 years now, and while the Las Vegas native would love to keep going, things don t always work out that way. In fact, with Buch being 43 next year and Chip Ganassi Racing seemingly going for a younger look, one has to wonder if Busch will keep his ride or not?
Although sponsorship money doesn’t seem like a problem with Busch, especially after Monster Energy stepped up to sponsor him a few years ago, his value might be running out.
Interestingly enough, Kurt Busch spoke about the possibility of retirement during an interview with RACER Magazine, where claimed he is pretty much leaving it all up to fate. He did say that he looked forward to 2021 and the possibility of running for another championship but had no answers when it came to what happens beyond that.
Well, I m going to push and push and push for 2021 to be a great year and I don t know what will come of 2022, but I m a racer. I love to race. Busch said during the interview. There are some bucket list races that I want to go out and accomplish outside of NASCAR, so whether it s a full-time schedule, a part-time schedule and roaming around and doing different races around the world, I m hoping that the world is in a more restful and peaceful place by the end of 2021.
#2 Two Las Vegas residents indicted on wire fraud charges after pretending to be a sports betting business.
As if 2020 couldn t get any crazier than what it already was, two men in Las Vegas are now being indicted by a federal judge for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 12 counts of wire fraud. The men allegedly did this by luring investors in with what they described as a sports betting entity.
The men advertised that they could use insights and ahead of the curve strategies to net a customer 180 dollars for every 100 wagered. The men misrepresented the opportunity as getting in on a new sports betting website, but the only funds made were from either investors or those who thought they were betting on a game.
The men essentially robbed investors of 9 million dollars and used it for fancy dining, trips, and other expenditures. They are set to face trial for their charges in the coming year and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for their crimes. The two men could also be charged 250,000 dollars for their actions.
#1 Trent Brown hospitalized after pregame IV incident
Trent Brown is still hospitalized after a pregame IV incident left him unable to compete in Sunday s game against the Cleveland Browns and his teammates were reportedly very worried about the star defensive player. The NFL later reported that Brown had oxygen enter his body instead and that he required immediate medical attention.
“Very glad to report he is up and seems to be doing well,” Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden said Monday in his weekly Zoom media conference. “We’re awaiting the results of some of the extensive tests that they did today and yesterday. I don’t have anything to report other than he had an issue.”
