TOPLINE The National Football League had three dozen positive coronavirus test results returned Monday, the highest single-day total since the league began testing for the virus last year, according to NFL Network and ESPN -- as the NFL becomes the latest sports league to be rocked by significant Covid-19 outbreaks.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that 36 players tested positive for the virus Monday, including All-Pro Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
On Mondays, most NFL teams test all players and personnel regardless of vaccination status (vaccinated individuals must get tested weekly, while unvaccinated need daily tests), which could explain the elevated number of positive results, according to ESPN.
The league office did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Between November 14 and November 27, just 29 NFL players tested positive for the virus, league said in its last official Covid-19 update. The NFL’s recent Covid-19 outbreak comes as other major professional leagues deal with similar issues and the nation as a whole deals with rising Covid-19 cases. The NBA announced Monday its first postponement of games this season due to a team-wide outbreak on the Chicago Bulls, while the NHL announced its third such delay due to an outbreak on the Calgary Flames. The United States’ seven-day average of new coronavirus infections has risen by 33% over the last two weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TANGENT
Earlier this month, the NFL was rocked by different Covid news: The alleged presence of fake vaccination cards among some of its players. Two members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including star wide receiver Antonio Brown, and a third player that spent time with the team in the preseason were suspended by the league on December 2 after an investigation concluded they “misrepresented” their vaccination status. Brown’s attorney Sean Burstyn denied the allegations in a statement to NFL Network at the time, saying Brown is in fact vaccinated.
SOURCE : NFL
