NFLPA Announces 72 Cases of COVID-19 Among Players

As training camp approached, the NFL Players Association announced Thursday that 72 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19.

The data considered test results as of July 10. The number represents 2.5 percent of the players who consider the 90-player rosters for training camps. The NFLPA did not report how many players had been tested.

Positive before players get together

With training camp still to begin, the 72 positive cases represent players who have contracted the coronavirus in their daily lives or in unauthorized training between teammates. The players are not yet in the locker room or on the practice fields together.

League-wide quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have organized workouts with their teammates even though the NFLPA advised them not to. The NFLPA did not release the names of the players who tested positive.

Plus

The NFLPA released the numbers in the midst of launching a COVID-19 information center that advertises itself as a “one-stop shop for information … about COVID-related return to work, testing, and protocols for players, equipment and facilities. “

The page also included numbers on the concentration of COVID-19 cases in NFL counties, with the Miami-Dade County Dolphins home registering the highest rate. Norfolk County, which is home to the New England Patriots, has the lowest concentration, according to NFLPA data.

Concern lingers over NFL COVID-19 plan

The report comes the same day that Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt criticized the NFL for its lack of COVID-19 planning, alleging that players are largely in the dark about protocols to protect the players, in addition to the financial implications of the pandemic. Watt’s statement came after weeks of player concern over the NFL’s readiness to play amid the pandemic.

Training camps are scheduled to open on July 28 and newbies are required to report on July 19.

Related