Bill Belichick made doubly sure he followed the NFL’s mask mandate Monday night.
The New England Patriots head coach wore two masks — a black neck gaiter over a white, N95-style face covering — during his team’s 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Belichick continued to wear both masks during his postgame video conference and had them both on during his Tuesday afternoon presser, as well.
Belichick, who wore one mask on the sideline during the Patriots’ first three games, was asked why he added another Monday night.
“Basically, that’s what we’ve been instructed to do,” he replied.
Several NFL coaches, including Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, have received hefty fines this season for not properly wearing masks during games.
The Patriots placed their first player on the reserve/COVID-19 over the weekend, with starting quarterback Cam Newton testing positive late Friday night.
Belichick was asked whether he was concerned about coaching an environment where COVID-19 could be present, given his high-risk status. At 68, Belichick is the NFL’s second-oldest coach behind Carroll.
“No,” Belichick said.
The Patriots placed a second player, practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray, on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. It’s unclear whether Murray, who reportedly was not part of the team’s traveling party, tested positive or was exposed to someone who had.
