The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to fear the 2020 NFL season could be in jeopardy, with concerns that a single outbreak could end football this fall. Fortunately, the NFL received great news this week in its first round of league-wide testing.
With players and coaches at team facilities for training camp, the NFL conducted daily COVID-19 tests for its personnel across all 32 teams. Now with activity starting to ramp up slowly, the league received the results it was hoping for this week.
How many NFL players have COVID-19?
The NFL Players Association secured a huge victory during negotiations with the league by getting daily COVID-19 testing in the first two weeks of training camp. While the league is expected to use a stunning number of tests at an extraordinary price tag, the early returns are great news.
On Thursday, the NFLPA announced that 56 players tested positive for the coronavirus since they reported for training camp. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes, this makes up for an incredibly small number of the league’s population.
We have seen many NFL stars test positive for COVID-19 this offseason and even a few placed on the COVID-19 reserve list during training camp. As we’ve seen with the likes of Gardner Minshew and Matthew Stafford, landing on the list doesn’t mean a player actually has the coronavirus.
The NFL will continue to exercise caution during the COVID-19 pandemic with restrictions and protocols that make this summer and the upcoming season unlike any other. While misting booths, locker room barriers and strict social-distancing rules is unusual, it could lead to a full 2020 NFL season taking place.