Browns back to practice after determining virus tests as false positives
League investigating findings, which have impacted several teams.
A buzz word for the Browns among the COVID-19 pandemic has been “fluid,” and that was never more evident than Sunday.
After the Browns announced Sunday morning they had canceled their 2:25 p.m. training camp practice because of a slew of positive results from Saturday’s COVID-19 testing, the organization confirmed those results were false positives and decided to practice after all.
“We’ve concluded our re-testing of each initial presumptive positive result from yesterday among players, coaches and staff. All have come back as negative, which is consistent with the irregularities across the league from multiple teams,” a Browns spokesman said in a prepared statement released Sunday afternoon. “As a result, we are reopening our building and will resume football activities this afternoon. As per protocol, the individuals with test results in question may not re-enter the building until they receive another negative test result tomorrow.”
The eighth full-squad practice of camp held Sunday afternoon was closed to media as a result of the changes in plans.
The Browns, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings are among the NFL teams serviced by a laboratory in New Jersey that found a spike in positive results from Saturday’s tests. Bills General Manager BrandonBeane told reporters 10 or 11 teams were affected.
A Browns spokesman said in a prepared statement the team’s results from Saturday yielded
“multiple individual presumptive positive cases that include players, coaches and support staff.” All of those who tested positive are asymptomatic, according to the statement.
The Browns conducted drive-through testing Sunday morning as they work to determine whether the results were false positives.
The league, whose teams undergo daily testing, announced it is investigating the results in question.
“Saturday’s daily COVID testing returned several positives tests from each of the clubs serviced by the same laboratory in New Jersey,” the NFL’s prepared statement read. “We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive tests.
“Clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures as outlined in the NFL-NFLPA’s health and safety protocols to include contact tracing, isolation of individuals and temporarily adjusting the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results.”
The Browns haven’t had a player on the reserve/ COVID-19 list since Aug. 7, when they activated wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley from it. Punter Jamie Gillan, quarterback Garrett Gilbert, running back Dontrell Hilliard and safety Jovante Moffatt are the other Browns players who have spent time on the list since the franchise began testing on July 24, when their first wave of players reported to camp.
As of Sunday morning, only four players in the entire league were on the reserve/ COVID-19 list.
The prepared statement released Sunday morning and attributed to a Browns spokesman is as follows:
“After consistently receiving encouraging results from daily testing since returning to the facility in July, the Cleveland Browns’ COVID-19 testing process conducted yesterday initially indicates multiple individual presumptive positive cases that include players, coaches and support staff.
“Although, we have received indication from the NFL that they are investigating irregularities in lab results that have also impacted other clubs, out of an abundance of caution, we will immediately follow our comprehensive Infectious Disease Emergency Response plan and pause any activity in our building today and conduct meetings virtually.
“As per plan procedure, the team is also diligently reviewing proximity data for contact tracing and instructed self-isolation for those who tested positive and others as appropriate even though they all remain asymptomatic. Our facility is currently undergoing a thorough deep-cleaning and disinfecting process and is closed to all personnel for the day. We will provide updates as testing results are confirmed and more information is available.”
The Bears announced Saturday’s testing “identified nine players/staff as positive,” but the team confirmed all nine results as false positives. The Bears postponed their Sunday morning practice to the afternoon.
The Bills chose to practice Sunday but hold a few players out because of test results, Beane said.
The Jets canceled their walk-through practice Saturday night after they produced 10 positive test results, coach Adam Gase told reporters. Those results were negative in subsequent testing, Gase said, so the Jets decided to practice Sunday.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in a prepared statement six of the team’s players were absent from Saturday’s practice due to COVID-19 protocol, but “none of those players were required to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list” and would be permitted to return to meetings Sunday and practice today.