The game between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers has been indefinitely postponed after the announcement Thursday that at least 10 Titans players and staff tested positive for COVID-19, according to the NFL.
The NFL released a statement that Thursday announcing that in addition to the eight positive cases announced earlier this week, one additional player and one additional staff member tested positive for the virus. The league had originally considered delaying the game by a day or so. They teams were to take the field Sunday.
“The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel,” the league said in a statement Thursday. “The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice.”
Sources told the sports publication that the game, which was planned for Sunday, could possibly be delayed to Monday. The postponement occurs after three Titans players, starting nose tackle DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson, and five team personnel tested positive for the virus.
On Tuesday, the Titans announced it would close all facilities and all employees would work remotely.
“Out of the abundance of caution, the organization has decided to work remotely today as we follow NFL protocols related to the Covid-19 virus. Several tests have come back positive and are working through the process of confirming them. We will have more information tomorrow," read a statement from the Titans.
The Nashville football team had just played the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, so the The NFL confirmed that in-person club activity would also be suspended for the Vikings until further notice. The Vikings do not have any players or staffers with positive COVID-19 results.
“Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments," according to the statement.
The Vikings are still set to play the Houston Texans on Sunday, according to reports. Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Wednesday that his team was told by the league to expect to play, adding that they had their own scare with two “false positives” before playing the Steelers last Sunday.
The NFL has reported false positives in the past, with reportedly 77 NFL tests once returned as positive being determined to be “most likely false positives” related to a New Jersey lab in August. It appears that these eight positive results have indeed been confirmed, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
To avoid the spread of the virus, the NFL has cracked down on coaches who refuse to wear masks on the sidelines during games. The consequences for failing to comply to COVID-19 game protocols could include suspension and forfeiture of the draft picks, according to a league memo sent to ESPN.
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