New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton told ESPN on Thursday that he tested positive for the coronavirus, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Payton is the first known person in the NFL to test positive for COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus.
The 56-year-old coach recently attended a horse race in Arkansas on Saturday. He told ESPN that he didn’t feel well this past weekend and underwent testing. Payton learned his results two days later and has been quarantined at his home and resting.
Payton wanted to share the news with others to create greater awareness of the dangers of being out in public and encouraged everyone to stay indoors and be safe.
“This is not just about social distancing,” Payton said, via ESPN. “It’s shutting down here for a week to two weeks. If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. It’s not complicated to do what they’re asking of us. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact.
Oakland Raiders linebacker Quentin Poling shared on Wednesday that he and his family were being tested for COVID-19, but their doctor believes they have it.
As of now, seven NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 and two New York Yankees’ minor-league players also tested positive.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 11,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States.