Virus cases, investigation roiling Titans
Incidents under league scrutiny in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NFL’s investigation into how Tennessee turned into the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak found “several specific incidents” of the Titans possibly breaking protocols dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, according to a person with knowledge of the probe.
Also, the headmaster of a private school in Nashville confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that several Titans, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill, practiced on its field Sept. 30. That was a day before the NFL first postponed Tennessee’s game with Pittsburgh before rescheduling to Oct. 25.
Commissioner Roger Goodell warned all 32 teams Monday that following league protocols is mandatory and that violations forcing changes in the schedule could lead to forfeiting games.
Tennessee had two more pl ayers test posit i ve Wednesday, a person familiar with the the situation said. The Titans placed starting wide receiver Corey Davis on the reserve/ COVID-19 list hours later, bringing their total to 22 cases, with 20 returned since Sept. 29.
The Titans cannot return to their facility before Saturday at the earliest, needing back-to-back days without a positive test result. They haven’t been on a field since beating the Vikings 31-30 on Sept. 27. The NFL has to decide if they’ll play Buffalo (4-0) as scheduled Sunday, postpone and reschedule or forfeit.
The Titans were featured with “several specific incidents” during a call Monday with the league’s general managers and coaches, a person with knowledge of the NFL’s investigation said. Another person familiar with the call said photos from the Titans’ cafeteria were shown.
The league is attempting to play a full schedule amid the pandemic without teams isolated in a bubble. No games were affected through the first three weeks of the season.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, told Judy Battista of the NFL Network the league has looked into video inside the Titans’ facility, interviewed everyone involved and even studied seating charts on buses and planes.
Sills also made clear the league expected positive cases all along.
“The exercises are not just about did someone follow the protocols or not, but, are there vulnerabilities we can tighten up, what can we learn and where can we get better and how can we improve going forward?” Sills said. “And we’ve already made a number of those changes.”
The Patriots are dealing with COVID-19 cases.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, announced on social media he had tested positive and is asymptomatic.
Quarterback Cam Newton was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Oct. 3, with a defensive tackle from the practice squad added Tuesday.
New England canceled practices Wednesday and today. The Patriots are scheduled to host Denver on Sunday.
“WEAR YOUR MASK. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE,” Newton posted on Twitter Wednesday, with a photo of him wearing a mask.