Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans players tested positive for COVID-19.
The coronavirus has now impacted both NFL franchises headquartered in the state of Texas.
According to The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, “Several Cowboys players and several Texans players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently…None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities. The teams followed proper health protocols.”
Team facilities have begun opening up across the country. Thus, the level of coronavirus testing has amped up as well. Texas was one of the states that was looser on their shelter-in-place restrictions as some states. Texas also has a massive population, a huge land area and deals with incredibly hot weather in the summer. It’s no surprise the conservative state opened up like it did.
There were positive COVID-19 tests from Cowboys and Texans players.
While the positive tests aren’t great, because the players who did test positive will now have to self-quarantine for the next two weeks, these professional athletes could be asymptomatic, as this virus is increasingly more commonplace than we even imagined. It’s also a good thing these positive tests came in the middle of June and not in the heart of the 2020 NFL regular season.
Most players’ names have not been identified. However, one name has been leaked to Rapoport and that would be Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Per Rapoport, “Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott is one of the players who has tested positive for the Coronavirus, his agent Rocky Arceneaux confirmed to me. Arceneaux said Elliott is feeling good.”
While Elliott coming down with the virus stinks, there is good news to be had because the players who tested positive had not been in the team facility, meaning the Cowboys and Houston Texans‘ headquarters are have not been contaminated up to this point.
Surely, the Cowboys and the Texans won’t be the only NFL franchises with “several” positive coronavirus tests. What will be interesting is seeing if any players test positive for having the antibody for the virus. The quicker we can get a vaccine in place for the virus, the quicker things will get as close to normal as possible again in the country. For now, we have to manage it.
The NFL is going to do everything in its power to have a season. If it has to be played without fans present, so be it. At its core, the NFL is a fantastic television product and viewers will consume it that way. However, handling the coronavirus with great care and certain protocols will help us ensure football, and sports, will be coming back in the coming weeks and months.
Cowboys and Texans players test positive for coronavirus, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise.