Sean Payton refused to pay fine for COVID-19 violation, called Jon Gruden a ‘fool—‘ for doing so: repo

In 2020, both Sean Payton and Jon Gruden were fined for improperly wearing their mask amid strict COVID-19 protocols.

However, only one of them apparently paid the six-figure fine, the latter, Gruden.

Gruden and Payton were fined $100,000 for improperly wearing masks. (Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders received other fines for protocol violations.)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton before an NFL game against the Los Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

But that was a penalty Payton would never pay, and he mocked Gruden for doing so.

Payton allegedly told Gruden which he, along with other trainers who got hit on their wallets, refused to pay.

«I never paid the fine,» Payton is reported to have told Gruden. «You’re the only fool— who paid the fine.»

jon gruden

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden (R) watches his team take on the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL game at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Saints 34-24. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Payton’s then-New Orleans Saints were also fined $500,000 and discounted a 2021 seventh-round draft pick for an incident in which Payton and several players were caught on video celebrating in the locker room without masks after a landslide victory. Over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 9 of that season.

The Raiders have been fined $800,000 so far this season, and Gruden has been fined $250,000 in individual fines for protocol violations that year.

Sean Payton is introduced as boss of the Broncos

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton answers questions from the media during a news conference at the UCHealth Training Center on February 6, 2023, in Englewood, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Gruden remains out of a job after he resigned in 2021 following a leak of racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments in emails, while Payton returned to the sidelines as head coach of the Denver Broncos.