The Raiders didn’t fail to disclose the Clelin Ferrell back injury before Monday night’s game against the Ravens. During the contest, however, the Raiders failed to disclose quarterback Marcus Mariota‘s in-game injury.
Mariota entered for one snap, ran the ball 31 yards, and left. Coach Jon Gruden told reporters on Tuesday that Mariota had been injured. The Raiders told no one during the game that Mariota was injured.
“Club personnel are responsible for reporting in-game injury information factually and accurately as soon as possible for the benefit of the network television audience and the other media covering our games,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy explained via email to PFT on Tuesday. “To ensure fans in the stadium have access to the same information, these injury updates must also be posted on the stadium video boards, scoreboards or ribbon boards. The in-game injury updates must be disseminated simultaneously to all parties — the network television broadcaster, the media in the press box and the fans in the stadium. . . . In-game injury announcements to the media must be specific to a body part, accurate, and updated as warranted, including any changes to the player’s status for the remainder of the game if his status changes after the initial report.”
With the spread of legalized sports gambling (and the arrival of the NFL in the place where sports gambling has been legal for decades), this is no small issue. Full transparency becomes critical when it comes to player injuries, and the league can’t afford to look the other way.
In 2018, the Raiders were fined $20,000 for failing to downgrade offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele from questionable to out when he didn’t travel with the team for a road game against the Chargers. Based on the failure to disclose an injury to Mariota, who clearly was injured, the Raiders may be making another involuntary contribution to a charity of the NFL’s choice.