Several NFL teams change or cancel their football activities on Sunday after results of Saturday’s COVID-19 tests came from a laboratory in New Jersey positive results.
“Saturday’s daily COVID tests have returned several positive tests from each of the clubs served by the same lab in New Jersey,” the NFL said in a statement, by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs are working to confirm or rule out the positive tests. Clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures, as set forth in the NFL-NFLPA Health and Safety Protocols. to track contact, isolate individuals and temporarily adjust the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results. “
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, 10 or 11 teams were affected by the test problem, with some of the teams having bilingual positive tests.
The Browns shut down activities on Sunday as a result of the test results.
“After consistently encouraging results from daily tests received since returning to the facility in July, Cleveland Browns’ COVID-19 testing process yesterday revealed multiple individual presumptive positive cases involving players, coaches and support staff,” said the team in a statement Sunday. “Although, we have been instructed by the NFL to investigate irregularities in lab results that have affected other clubs as well, out of an abundance of caution, we will immediately follow our comprehensive Infectious Disease Response Plan and monitor every activity in our building. take a break today and hold free meetings. “
The Chicago Bears are another team that has been affected.
The club released a statement on Sunday morning, saying: “This morning we learned the COVID-19 tests from yesterday’s nine players / staff as positive. We follow additional NFL-NFLPA test protocol and confirmed all nine results as false positive. Out of an abundance out of caution, we have postponed the morning exercise to this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. “
According to Breer, Jets head coach Adam Gase told local reporters Sunday that the team had to cancel its walkthrough yesterday due to the test problem. Gase said the team had 10 positives.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in a statement Sunday that the team on Saturday had six players absent from practice following COVID-19 protocols. “None of these players had to be required to be placed on Reserve / COVID-19 and will return to meetings today and practice on Monday.”
Mike Zimmer, head coach of Wytsingen, said the club had eight players, one coach and three staff tested presumably positive.
Accounts GM Brandon Beane said they are one of the teams that have been affected and that the club will miss a few players in practice today due to a lab issue with COVID-19 testing.
Breer reports that the Patriots were a different team affected by the problem.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted this past week that there have been just five players on the Reserve / COVID-19 list since Thursday night, which has been created not only for players who test positive, but also for those who have shown symptoms or come in contact with people who have tested positive or symptoms tested.
The window of the league’s daily tests was recently extended to Sept. 5, after it was initially expected to last only the first two weeks of training camp, unless positive test rates were more than 5%.
ESPN reports that the NFLPA may be pushing for daily tests to be extended during the regular season as well.
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