Leafs star Matthews tests positive
Centre in quarantine, Jays among MLB teams to shut down facilities Leafs centre Auston Matthews is quarantining at home after reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their camp in Dunedin, Fla., and a report surfaced that Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews had tested positive for COVID-19 as the spread of the sometimes deadly coronavirus infected the optimism that had been accompanying the return of sports.
“After a player presented symptoms of those of the virus, the Blue Jays have suspended operations at their Dunedin facilities for the time being,” the team said in a statement.
The statement did not say which player had symptoms, but added that more personnel at the facility would undergo testing that is part of the protocol set out by Major League Baseball and the Blue Jays medical team.
The Jays were one of four MLB teams to close their facilities.. The Associated Press reported late Friday that all teams would follow suit, with camps to be cleaned and disinfected. The Leafs and NHL had no comment on a Postmedia story that cited sources saying Matthews had tested positive in Arizona, where new cases have been spiking this week.
The story, which was confirmed by the Star, said his pandemic roommate, Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, had not. Andersen had joined Matthews in his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., shortly after the league paused the season on March 12. Andersen is not with Matthews at the moment, the report said.
“Per the National Hockey League protocol with respect to COVID-19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be commenting on reports surrounding testing for any of the Club’s players or staff,” the Leafs said. “A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive test results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the number of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected clubs or players.”
On Friday evening, the league issued a statement that 200 players had undergone multiple testing, with 11 having tested positive.
“All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC (Centre for Disease Control) and Health Canada protocols,” the league said. It did not release names. It was a day that was supposed to be filled with good news from a return-to-sports perspective.
On the hockey side, the NHL had received good news with the Canadian government agreeing to change quarantine rules for teams and allow cohort quarantines. That would allow the NHL to choose one of Toronto, Edmonton or Vancouver as a hub city for Stanley Cup tournament.
The league ideally wants training camps to open July 10 and could announce next week which two cities will serve as hubs when the playoffs begin, probably in late July or early August.
Athletes from all major sports — including soccer, basketball and football — have either returned to their camps or have begun working out informally.
But reports of failed COVID tests dominated the day. Among them:
Five Philadelphia Phillies and three others within the organization tested positive and their facility in Clearwater, Fla., was closed.
The Tampa Bay Lightning shut down their workouts after three players tested positive, while a Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach also tested positive.
And a player with the San Francisco 49ers who was working out with teammates in Nashville tested positive, according to the NFL Network.
The Jays’ and Phillies’ facilities are less than 10 kilometres apart. Tampa is about 40 kilometres from both.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois implored Tampa Bay area residents to “help slow the spread of this pandemic by ... wearing a mask, practising social distancing and continuing to wash their hands regularly.”