Lions activate Matthew Stafford off reserve/COVID-19 list

By Jesse Reed

·Updated: August 4, 2020

New England Patriots quarterback Matthew Stafford?

The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday that star quarterback Matthew Stafford has been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Matthew Stafford cleared to return after false-positive COVID-19 test

In a statement released by the Lions, they shared that Stafford was forced onto the reserve/COVID-19 list because of a false-positive test. Following that test result, Stafford tested negative on his next three tests.

So, in short, Stafford never had COVID-19.

His testing sequence for the Pre-Entry period was: negative, negative, False-Positive. The next three tests were all negative. To be clear, Matthew does NOT have COVID-19 and never has had COVID-19 and the test in question was a False-Positive. (2) https://t.co/ioIrHTjOWH
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 4, 2020

Obviously this is the best possible news for Stafford, his family and the Lions. Stafford’s wife, Kelly, just recently overcame a brain tumor and could be considered a high-risk person for COVID-19.

The No. 1 pick of Detroit back in 2009, Stafford is one of the NFL’s premier gunslingers. Over the course of his career, he’s racked up 41,025 yards passing with 256 touchdowns and 134 interceptions. He is coming off a 2019 campaign that saw him miss eight games with fractured bones in his back.