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Any coach who approaches a referee without
wearing a proper face covering now can be slapped with a 15-yard
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
A memo sent to teams Friday from Perry Fewell, the NFL's senior
vice president of officiating administration, authorizes
officials to throw the flags. It is a response to complaints
from the NFL Referees Association about coaches and other
sideline personnel pulling down their masks to yell at officials
from close range.
"We have seen multiple occasions where head coaches have removed
their masks to communicate with game officials during games,"
Fewell wrote in the memo. "Doing so creates unnecessary,
increased risk for the game official, the head coach, and
others, and is inconsistent with the requirement that face
coverings be worn at all times. ...
"Consistent with all other individuals on the sideline, game
officials are entitled to your respect as they perform their job
duties during the pandemic."
The league's COVID-19 protocols require everyone on the sideline
to wear a face covering except for players who are actively
involved in the game. The referees only remove their masks to
announce penalties.
The NFL fined five coaches $100,000 each -- and their teams
$250,000 -- for failing to wear masks properly in the early
weeks of the season.
--Field Level Media
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