NFL Fines Cowboys' WR Amari Cooper For Attending Mavs Game Maskless
Though Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper would have rather kept his appearance at a Mavericks basketball game on Jan. 5 under wraps, ESPN spotted the unvaccinated player and put him on blast for being unmasked.
Now, the NFL has rolled out its fine for Cooper, who infringed on a rule for unvaccinated players to refrain from attending events outside of work.
Announced Thursday, the League has issued a fine to Cooper, costing him $14,650. According to the NFL's COVID-19 guidelines:
“A player who is not fully vaccinated is prohibited from attending a professional sporting event unless he is seated in a separated seating section, such as a suite or owner’s box, is wearing PPE, and there are no more than 10 people in that separate seating section.”
Cooper was spotted with teammate CeeDee Lamb at the game, but Lamb is vaccinated and immune to fines for an unmasked cameo.
Despite his irreparable deed in the face of coronabros, Cooper has understood the urgency of maintaining health according to the guidelines as the playoffs begin.
“You don't want to get sick. This is the tournament," Cooper announced, regarding his preparedness as an unvaccinated player. "We train so hard in the offseason, OTAs, camp, to get to this point. We accomplished that goal thus far. We’re going to do everything we can do to not get sick. If that means isolation, then that’s what that means. Hopefully we can isolate enough to not catch it.”
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott spoke on the team's priority to avoid additional COVID sit-outs as the Cowboys (12-5) prepare for their return to the postseason since 2018.
“No one can pinpoint or truly detect where we’re picking it up, where people are getting it from right now," Prescott admitted. "But we can do the best we can of controlling our surroundings ... We’ve just got to be cautious, protecting yourself, trying to stay away from the big crowds, limiting the people you’re around and doing all the things you can to control it ..."
Dallas faces off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, with Big D (-3) slated as the favorite to win.
Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela