Drew Lock Releases Statement After NFL's Harsh Treatment of Broncos: 'An Honest Mistake'

Drew Lock fell on the proverbial sword but it won't sway the NFL from brazenly singling out the Broncos for punishment.

The Denver Broncos will play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday without even one of their four rostered quarterbacks. Neither Drew Lock, nor Brett Rypien, Blake Bortles, nor Jeff Driskel is eligible to play. And yet, the NFL is not relenting it its push to make the Broncos play without a quarterback. 

The reason? Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday morning. Upon review of security footage during contact tracing, the NFL determined that Lock, Rypien, and Bortles didn't perfectly obey the COVID-19 protocols with regard to mask-wearing and, ostensibly, social distancing. 

The league is making the Broncos pay a hefty price. Practice-squad wideout Kendall Hinton — and undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest — will start at quarterback vs. the Saints. The NFL has been unmoved by the Broncos' lobbying to reschedule the game to Tuesday. 

As the starting quarterback of the Broncos, Lock's cache in the court of public opinion has taken a hit after The Athletic's Lindsay Jones reported that he and his fellow signal-callers weren't "forthcoming" during contact tracing interviews. The idea being, if Lock and company would have taken the NFL's COVID-19 protocols seriously and perfectly obeyed the rules by wearing masks 100% of the time, the Broncos wouldn't be in this position. 

While that might be true, the Broncos are in this situation because the NFL has decided to abandon all pretenses of fairness and transparently hold up a double-standard. Lock released a statement on Sunday via Twitter. 

"As a proud member of the Denver Broncos, I can attest that our entire team has taken the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, following the rules to keep each other safe. We're tested daily, get quick results, and are confident our facility is a safe environment for everyone. 

"In a controlled and socially distanced area, we let our masking slip for a limited amount of time. An honest mistake, but one I will own. 

"I sincerely apologize and fully understand why these safety precautions are so important. Doing the right thing for a majority of the time is not good enough. 

"I pray for my teammates' health, safety and success today. I look forward to getting back on the field next week. Go Broncos."

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What more can be said? Lock took extreme ownership over his mask-wearing lapses. The NFL is making him and the Broncos pay in an unprecedented way. 

In less than 24 hours, I've already grown weary of trying to rationalize why the NFL has brazenly opted to treat the Broncos in a very different way than it has teams that have had similar lapses leading to similar COVID-19 crises. A double-standard exists. 

Because the Broncos aren't a playoff-relevant team (even though they're still in the hunt), the NFL has ostensibly singled them out to be the scapegoat, despite going to great lengths at different times this season to accommodate teams like New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, and most recently, the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL punished the Broncos for New England's lapses earlier this season, robbing Denver of its bye. 

The Broncos are being punished this time due to their own foibles. But the NFL is not showing them any mercy, nor is the league giving Denver any leniency or reciprocity after John Elway, Joe Ellis, and Vic Fangio served as dutiful soldiers as Commissioner Roger Goodell reshaped the Broncos' schedule and eliminated their bye through no fault of their own. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.