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- Covered Eagles for USA Today
- Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
- Played college football at Cheyney University
The Tennessee Titans were informed on Sept. 29 that in-person gatherings had been banned because of the organization’s ongoing coronavirus outbreak, a league source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano, meaning that the players’ informal workouts the following day were unauthorized and a violation of the NFL’s virus-related protocols.
A group of Titans players held a workout at a Nashville school on Sept. 30, one day after the organization closed its facility. The Titans have had 23 positive tests for COVID-19 since Sept. 24, with another player testing positive for the virus Thursday, according to ESPN and reports.
Titans tight end MyCole Pruitt and practice squad defensive back Breon Borders were added to the team’s Reseve/COVID-19 list on Thursday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the NFL is investigating whether the Titans violated COVID-19 protocols. The Titans and Minnesota Vikings, who played Tennessee in Week 3 and also closed their facility last week, were informed Sept. 29 that there could be no in-person activities anywhere, team facility or otherwise, the source told Graziano.
Multiple Titans players, however, have told ESPN that they were unaware that workouts had been banned on Sept. 29.
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The NFL also issued a memo to all clubs on Oct. 1 to reinforce protocols already in place. Whether the Titans effectively communicated the Sept. 29 information to their players is “all part of the investigation,” the league source told Graziano.
The players’ workout last week took place at Montgomery Bell Academy, a school official told Davenport. Some players had worked out at the school in the past and have a relationship with Montgomery Bell Academy coach Marty Euverard.
The school official told ESPN that they weren’t aware of any restrictions by the NFL in place to prevent players from gathering.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Oct. 1 that players were told not to hold any group workouts.
“We’ve asked our players in light of the recent tests to not gather,” Vrabel said. “Whether that’s a league protocol or us asking them so that we can just avoid close contacts and that we can try to work through this and get back into the building to prepare for
Tennessee’s Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was rescheduled for Oct. 25 because of the Titans’ positive coronavirus tests. The Titans are scheduled to host the Bills on Sunday, but the status of that game now is in jeopardy after Thursday’s latest positive test. Players from both the Titans and Bills have been informed that the NFL is discussing multiple alternative scenarios for the game, including postponing it until Monday or Tuesday, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Sept. 30 that players “can’t sit around on the couch for a week and be on a Zoom meeting and expect to go be at a physical peak on a Sunday, or whenever the game is going to be.” “It’s going to look a little bit different for everybody, what they’re able to do, where they’re able to work out, in a garage, in a gym somewhere, I’m not even sure,” Tannehill said at the time. The NFL and NFL Players Association sent officials to Nashville on Friday to look into possible violations of procedures and protocols. Although the Titans maintain that they have followed all league memos and directives verbatim, the team is now facing possible penalties from the NFL. A league memo distributed Monday said teams found in violation of protocol resulting in an outbreak that requires an adjustment to the schedule are subject to financial and competitive discipline that can include the loss of draft picks and forfeiture of a game. Also on Thursday, practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson, who is already on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, has been suspended without pay for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
METAIRIE, La. — Monday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers would be relocated to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium if needed because of Hurricane Delta, sources told ESPN.
The Saints could also move their practice operations to Indianapolis if needed — as they did for a week in 2008 when Hurricane Gustav hit Louisiana. The Saints have long considered Indianapolis as a contingency option because of the ample hotel space and convenient location of the downtown stadium.
Delta is bearing down on the state of Louisiana and is expected to make landfall as a hurricane on Friday night. LSU already has moved its scheduled Saturday home game against Missouri to Columbia, Missouri, as a result.
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- Covered Eagles for USA Today
- Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
- Played college football at Cheyney University
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NFL knew it would likely have to deal with the coronavirus pandemic at some point when it proceeded with the 2020 season.
“At the end of the day, the safest teams and the healthiest team this year is going to be the one that’s going to be playing in January and February. We can only control what we can control,” Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard said in August.
The Titans became the first NFL team to experience a COVID-19 outbreak. The number of positive tests is now up to 18, and the Titans’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed. The Titans maintain that they have adhered to NFL/NFLPA protocols and procedures.
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Contact tracing was initiated as soon as positive tests were received, according to Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Players and select team employees wear a proximity recording device that tracks interaction with others who wear the device. Anyone who was in close proximity to a person who tests positive is subjected to multiple tests. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus has an incubation period that can last up to 14 days. An infected person can be contagious up to 72 hours before they even begin showing symptoms.
While the Titans were the first team to be affected, they weren’t the last. Here is a timeline of how everything unfolded for the Titans and the NFL leading up to Saturday’s decision to postpone the “When you try players out, they go through a process of testing and quarantine before you work them out, and then when you work them out, you decide to sign them or not, and then they’re into the testing protocol,” Vrabel said Thursday. “At that point in time, when he tested positive, we went through and followed the protocol and he was removed from the facility.” Sept. 26: Titans outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen tests positive. The Titans received Bowen’s positive test last Saturday morning. Bowen didn’t make the trip to Minnesota when the Titans played the Vikings. “When we get the results early in the morning, Todd [Toriscelli, director of sports medicine] and his staff and Adrian [Dixon, assistant athletic trainer] begin the contact tracing. They do the follow-up testing and then we proceed from there with the protocol as it relates to any of the positives that would come up,” Vrabel said Thursday. “There’s a POC test which happens, and we’re very confident that we’ve followed the guidelines with the protocol that the league and the players’ association have set forth as it relates to identifying those persons of close contact and by using the tracing devices.” Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell was placed on the Reserve-Covid list. Contact tracing to other players and personnel members didn’t produce any positive tests so the Falcons were cleared to play the Chicago Bears. Sept. 27: Titans play the Vikings in Minnesota. The Titans defeated the Vikings with Vrabel calling the defensive plays in place of Bowen, who did it for the first two games. No Vikings have tested positive since the Titans game. Sept. 28: News breaks of Bowen’s positive test. Vrabel confirmed that Bowen had a positive test and didn’t make the trip to Minnesota. He said that Bowen wasn’t with the team and that the Titans had followed NFL/NFLPA procedures. “I’d say we’ve followed all the protocols as it relates to COVID,” Vrabel said. “We’re following the hundred memos that they’ve sent out verbatim.” Titans’ positive tests: one player, one team personnel member Sept. 29: Titans have eight more positive tests. The Titans received new positive tests from three players and five staff members. They placed defensive lineman
2:10 Dianna Russini shares the latest on Cam Newton testing positive for COVID-19 and what that means for the Patriots.
Oct. 1: Two more Titans test positive; NFL postpones Steelers vs. Titans. The Titans placed cornerback Kristian Fulton on the reserve/COVID list. An additional unnamed team personnel member also tested positive.
According to a statement, the NFL’s decision to move the game to a later date was made “to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel.”
Vrabel told the media the Titans were “very confident that we’ve followed the guidelines with the protocol that the league and the players’ association have set forth.” The Titans’ facility remained closed. All players, coaches and select team members continued testing while the team was on its bye week as a result of the postponement.
Vrabel delivered news of the postponement to the Titans during a virtual team meeting at 8:30 a.m. The Titans turned their attention to their Week 5 opponent, the Buffalo Bills.
“We had a squad meeting to inform the team that, in light of the two recent positive tests that we had, the NFL had made the smart and safe decision to postpone our game, and that we would be on a bye week starting now,” Vrabel said. “[We] reminded them to not gather with each other, players and staff, until we can find a safe way to enter in back to our building … hopefully which would happen Monday or Tuesday, [and] we would then [begin] preparation against Buffalo.”
The NFL also issued a memo with enhanced protocols for teams to follow after exposure to the coronavirus — including two daily tests. PPE and face masks must be worn by all players and coaches on the practice field, and gloves must be worn by everyone except quarterbacks on their throwing hand. All meetings must be virtual, and there will also be daily deep cleanings of the facility. The protocols also prohibit team or player gatherings away from the facility.
Titans’ positive tests: six players, seven team personnel members
Oct 2: Two more Titans test positive; NFL reschedules Steelers vs. Titans for Week 7. The Titans placed wide receivers Adam Humphries and Cam Batson on the reserve/COVID list.
New time for @Colts and @ChicagoBears on CBS pic.twitter.com/DH7gENKPgJ
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) October 3, 2020
Both the Titans and the Steelers now have Week 4 as their bye week. Officials from the NFL and NFLPA visit Nashville to look into the outbreak further.
The NFL released another memo, this time outlining procedures during the bye week and “testing cadence.” The statement reminds players there is a $50,000 fine for missing a test. A second missed test results in a one-game suspension.
Any player who misses a daily test without authorization during the bye week must have five negative PCR tests (taken 24 hours apart) before reentering a team facility.
Titans’ positive tests: eight players, seven team personnel members
Oct. 3: Multiple NFL positive tests. The Titans received another positive test for a player — defensive end
