#Raiders pretended Jon Gruden was hospitalized with coronavirus

Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” It seems Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has taken that to heart.

When Raiders players logged into a Zoom meeting expecting to see Gruden last week, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia appeared and told the team that Gruden was hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the NFL Network.

Except that wasn’t true. Gruden and his staff wanted to see how the players would react to the news and prepare them for such a situation during the season, emphasizing that it could happen to anybody at any time. The players took the trick to heart, according to the report.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson became the second head coach in the NFL to contract the virus on Sunday, and is self-quarantining. He is reportedly maintaining virtual contact with the team, but needs multiple negative tests to return to the team.

Saints head coach Sean Payton tested positive for the coronavirus in March. He has since recovered and is with the team.

Over 50 players around the league already have opted-out of the 2020 season. As of Wednesday, the Raiders have had three players – corner D.J. Killings, defensive end Jeremiah Valoaga and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe – opt-out.