Ravens QB jackson contracts virus
Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson tested positive for the novel coronavirus, part of the team’s ongoing outbreak that is jeopardizing this weekend’s already postponed game in Pittsburgh and could lead to the NFL’S regular season being extended by a week.
The positive test result for Jackson, the NFL’S reigning most valuable player, was confirmed to the Washington Post by a person familiar with the situation. According to another person with knowledge of the matter, the Ravens had four additional players test positive for the coronavirus, in all.
The Ravens-steelers game remained scheduled, as of Thursday night, for 12:15 p.m. Sunday, according to a person familiar with the NFL’S planning. But the additional positive test results for the Ravens further imperiled the status of that game, given the NFL’S stance that it must be confident that transmission of the virus is contained before a game is played.
The game already has been pushed back once after originally being scheduled for Thanksgiving night.
If the Ravens-steelers game is further delayed until Monday or Tuesday, that would impact the Ravens’ scheduled game next Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys. If the Ravens-steelers game cannot be played at all in Week 12, the NFL could be forced to add a Week 18 to the regular season. League leaders have said they would do that if all games cannot be played in the current 17week framework. The Ravens and Steelers already have had their bye weeks, so the game could not be rescheduled for later in the season without the addition of a Week 18.
Whenever the Ravens play next, they are likely to be without Jackson. Under the NFL’S treatment protocols, a player with a confirmed coronavirus case is placed in isolation and cannot rejoin team activities for at least 10 days. The timeline for the player’s return depends upon further testing results and the development of any symptoms.
Robert Griffin III, the former NFL offensive rookie of the year for Washington and Baylor product, would be in line to start in Jackson’s place.