Amid news that New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton and 20 players and staff members associated with the Tennessee Titans have now tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the NFL ramped up COVID-19 testing this weekend, checking players and personnel before they traveled to various cities to play games Sunday.
Saturday night, a coronavirus test was administered for all New Orleans Saints players before they boarded a team plane to Detroit ahead of Sunday’s game against the Lions.
After landing, results for fullback Michael Burton showed he had tested positive for the virus. His original sample was immediately retested, yielding negative results. He was tested one more time, again yielding negative results, according to NFL reporter Jay Glazer.
The four players closest to him on the plane were also retested and all received negative results.
According to NFL protocol, if a player who tests positive for coronavirus receives two negative follow-up tests, he “is not considered COVID positive and may resume all normal activity, including access to the facility.”
Burton’s initial test result is the fourth false positive test the Saints have received this year, according to USA Today Sports.
The Saints-Lions game will go on as scheduled at 1 p.m. ET.
From @NFLGameDay: The #Saints had a scare last night, but the result was a false positive for FB Michael Burton, and the #Lions-#Saints game is on. pic.twitter.com/VH73YTGY5g
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2020
After a long night for the #Saints and FB Michael Burton, his sample came back as a false positive. In the words of one source, “Everything that should have happened, did happen, protocol-wise.” The #Lions-#Saints game is on.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 4, 2020
In the wake of Newton’s positive coronavirus results, the team’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday. Newton, who is playing his first season with the Patriots, will not play.
On Thursday, the NFL officially postponed this Sunday’s Titans game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after six Tennessee players and seven staffers tested positive for the virus. The game was rescheduled for Oct. 25.
Unlike the NBA, the NFL did not create a bubble environment for players and staffers as a method to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Cox Media Group
