COVID-19 has invaded NFL franchises on Sept. 28, 2020. The Tennesee Titans and the Minnesota Vikings who played each other this past Sunday have had to close their facilities yesterday after three players and five personnel members tested positive for coronavirus.
Being Cautious
A Titans representative stated, “Out of the abundance of caution, the organization has decided to work remotely following NFL protocols.” The NFL was quick to emphasize in-person club activities for the Titans and Vikings will be suspended pending developments.
In Need of Full Test Results
More test results are needed to see if Titans players infected Vikings players during their game in Week 3. If none of the Minnesota players test positive, that is not only a great sign for the NFL but for sports at large.
The Titan players that tested positive for the virus are Defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long snapper Beau Brinkley and tight end Tommy Hudson.
In July 2020, the Nashville, SC soccer team had nine players test positive for the coronavirus, prompting the team to be withdrawn from the MLS Is Back Tournament.
COVID-19 in Tennessee
The state of Tennessee reported at least 2,025 deaths reported by the Tennessee Department of Health on Friday, an increase of 37 deaths from Thursday.
There is no firm word yet on whether the Titans’ game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, slated for Sunday, will go ahead as planned. The Steelers issued a statement Tuesday saying that so far, they’ve been told to prepare as normal.
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources:
CBS News: Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings close facilities after positive COVID-19 tests; Zoe Christen Jones
MSN Sports: 3 Titans players, 5 personnel test positive for COVID-19; team suspends in-person activities; Erik Bacharach
The Street: Titans and Vikings Shut Down Facilities After Positive COVID-19 Results: Jim Cramer Weighs in on Ramifications; Bill Enright
Tennessean: Tennessee surpasses 2,000 COVID-19 deaths, less than two months after losing 1,000 people to the virus; Mariah Timms
Feature and Top Image Courtesy of Walker Kinsler – Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons License.
Inset Image Courtesy of World Bank Photo Collection’s Flickr Page – Creative Common License
