NFL fined Miami native, Cowboys WR Amari Cooper for going to an NBA game. Here’s why

As Miami native Amari Cooper is preparing for the Dallas Cowboys playoff opener on wild card weekend, the NFL wide receiver was also hit with a fine for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players, an ESPN report said.

The fine, tallying $14,650, was issued when Cooper sat courtside without a mask at a Dallas Mavericks game last week, ESPN reported.

The NFL allows players to attend other sporting events, but players who are unvaccinated have to “sit in a luxury suite with a mask and not be surrounded by more than 10 people,” the ESPN report said.

The Alabama alum was at the game with Cowboys teammate CeeDee Lamb, who was not fined due to being vaccinated and not having the same restrictions as Cooper, ESPN reported. He also was on the Alabama sidelines for the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Cincinnati at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.

Cooper missed two games earlier this season after testing positive for COVID-19. Due to previously contracting the virus, Cooper is not involved in the NFL’s daily testing protocols, ESPN reported.