The Detroit Lions Week 4 matchup versus the New Orleans Saints, scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field appeared threatened after a report stating a Saints player checked positive for COVID-19 late Saturday night.
Pro Football Talk reported Saturday night that Saints fullback Michael Burton tested positive; the group got the positive test after getting here in Detroit, triggering a round of additional tests for players seated near Burton on the teams aircraft.
The NFL has currently postponed two games this weekend due to favorable COVID-19 tests. Previously in the week, the game between the Titans and Steelers was shifted to Week 7 after more than a dozen members of the Titans organization, consisting of multiple gamers, checked positive for the virus. On Saturday, a positive test for quarterback Cam Newton required the motion of Sundays marquee game between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs to Monday or Tuesday, according to the NFL.
[Matt Patricia: NFLs coronavirus outbreak advises us COVID is still real ] Under the NFLs procedure, Burton, presuming he is asymptomatic, will be retested to prevent a “incorrect positive.” Two consecutive negative tests the following day are required to prevent being forced to remain.
The procedure was changed in August after Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford tested positive during the third round of tests prior to the start of in-person training school and was positioned on the leagues reserve/COVID -19 list. Subsequent tests returned negative for Stafford and he was allowed to experiment the team.
Viewpoint: COVID-19s rage on NFL season might be just beginning
According to a memo sent out to all club presidents, basic managers and head coaches from NFL primary medical officer Allen Sills, a gamer with two unfavorable follow-up tests “is ruled out COVID favorable and might resume all regular activity, including access to the facility.”
In August, Sills said the COVID-19 testing the NFL uses is “exceptionally precise at identifying the targets,” little bits of RNA that match the series of the infection.
“So I believe thats a tough thing to understand due to the fact that I think all of us would like these tests to operate like a home pregnancy test? And thats merely not the method that these COVID tests operate and I think thats a tough message and one thats hard to get our brains covered around however it shows the absence of being able to have a direct viral test that actively cultures the virus.”
The Lions opened camp with 9 players on the reserve/COVID -19 list, however all were ultimately cleared to play. Two Lions pulled out before the start of the season: protective take on John Atkins and pass receiver Geronimo Allison.
Burton was prepared by the Lions in 2015 in the fifth round and spent his first two seasons in the NFL with Detroit, with a total of four rushes and six receptions for 41 yards from skirmish over 31 games. The New Jersey native is in his first season with New Orleans after betting Chicago and Washington.
This story will be updated as news establishes.
Dave Birkett added to this report.
Contact Ryan Ford at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @theford.
The NFL has currently postponed 2 games this weekend due to positive COVID-19 tests. On Saturday, a positive test for quarterback Cam Newton forced the motion of Sundays marquee game in between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs to Monday or Tuesday, according to the NFL.
“So I believe thats a difficult thing to comprehend because I believe all of us would like these tests to run like a home pregnancy test? And thats simply not the method that these COVID tests run and I believe thats a challenging message and one thats hard to get our brains covered around but it reflects the lack of being able to have a direct viral test that actively cultures the virus.”
