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COVID-19 NFL Concerns Before the 2020 Season
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An NFL team has just faced the first possibility of a minor COVID-19 outbreak, and took extra precautions on Thursday to save the health of its players and staff. According to ESPN, the Buffalo Bills sent their rookies home from the team’s facilities on Thursday after five positive tests for coronavirus were recorded this week. Two players, including a rookie, tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, prompting the Bills to make the decision to hold the day’s meetings virtually. The news was first reported by the NFL Network.
“As medical experts informed us when the training camp opened, we expected to have positive tests for COVID,” the Bills said in a statement to ESPN. “With five from the start of the trial period last Tuesday, we decided to take a disciplined, proactive, and preventive approach to eliminate additional cases within our team.”
Players began reporting to the team’s facilities last Thursday, and must register three negative COVID-19 tests before they are allowed to begin the physical exams and have the team’s equipment in their hands. On Tuesday, the NFLPA announced that there have been 21 positive tests in tests conducted as part of the training camp reporting process. Rookies, injured players and quarterbacks were allowed to start reporting last week, while veterans of most teams started reporting to camp on Tuesday.
The NFL does not require teams to close their facilities for a positive test, but the Bills decided to minimize the risk by sending players home for the day after multiple positive tests. According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, the feeling, for now, is that this is precautionary.
Rookie cornerback Ike Brown was the first Bills player to be placed on the new reserve / COVID-19 list Monday, and was followed by defensive tackle Vincent Taylor and wide receiver Duke Williams on Wednesday. The new category on the reserve list was created for a player who tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been quarantined after being in close contact with an infected person or people. If a player falls into any of these categories, his club is required to immediately place the player on the reserve / COVID-19 list. Clubs cannot reveal whether a player is quarantined or positive for COVID-19.
The Bills’ caution could be the result of what happened in MLB earlier this week. Its 2020 season is roughly a week old and the Miami Marlins have already experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that has caused multiple games to be postponed and cast a shadow of doubt on the future of the season. The NFL certainly doesn’t want to deal with a situation like the MLB before all the players have turned up for training camp.
