CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Another week, another round of positive COVID-19 testing news for the NFL.
On Tuesday the league and NFLPA announced that there were no positive test results among the 2,438 players tested between September 13-19. A total of 14,074 tests were administered to players during the week.
“The big thing is not falling into the trap of our success being, or leading to future failure,” Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter said Friday during a Zoom video conference with reporters. “We have been extremely successful so far. We’ve ben doing everything right, but not getting lulled into a false sense of security of ‘This is all figured out. We don’t have to think about it anymore.’
“Nothing we’ve done in the previous seven, eight weeks means anything in the future. This next week is a week we have to do everything right again in order to stay healthy, to stay virus-free, and that will be the continued battle.”
They did report 5 new confirmed cases among 5,407 other personnel tested during the span. A total of 22,590 tests were administered to that group.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 follow the joint NFL-NFLPA Treatment Protocol. They are immediately isolated, not permitted access club facilities, or have direct contact with players or personnel. Club medical staff are in regular communication with individuals who test positive to monitor symptoms.
The NFL, which is spending upwards of $75 million for their testing program, flexed its muscle Monday night by handing down over $1 million in fines to three head coaches and teams for not properly wearing masks on the sidelines during games Sunday.
Seattle's Pete Carroll, Denver's Vic Fangio and San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan were each fined $100,000 while the Seahawks, Broncos and 49ers were fined $250,000 each.
The heavy fines came a week after a warning from the league office to coaches and personnel about violating protocols on game days.
It was also a reminder that now is not the time to relax and forget they are trying to play through a global pandemic.
“It has been extremely positive so far,” Tretter said. “But again, one mistake, one lapse can throw a huge wrench into this entire thing. That’s really the focus now is making sure everyone understands that we’ve done great for two-ish months right now but we have a long way to go and we have to stay focused and diligent [with] what we’re doing.”