Ezekiel Elliott one of several Cowboys, Texans players to test positive for COVID-19
Several members of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Several #Cowboys players & several #Texans players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, sources tell me & @TomPelissero. None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities. The teams followed proper health protocols.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020
The exact number of players from each team is unknown. The identity of most of the players is unknown, but Ezekiel Elliott’s agent confirmed to Rapoport that the Cowboys running back has tested positive for COVID-19.
#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.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020
Due to privacy laws, the Cowboys were not able to comment on Elliott’s diagnosis or name the other players who had tested positive.
"Due to federal and local privacy laws, we are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of any of our employees,” the team said in a statement. “We are following all CDC, local and NFL guidelines to keep our facilities safe, including limiting employee access."
According to Rapoport, it is believed that these players did not catch the coronavirus in team facilities.
Texas is currently in the throes of a major COVID-19 surge, with the state setting new records for hospitalizations in six of the past seven days. Just three days after Houston opened up to 75 percent capacity, CBS News reported on Monday that city officials are considering new stay-at-home orders and could possibly turn the Texans’ NRG Stadium into a temporary COVID-19 hospital.
Texas isn’t alone. It’s one of more than 20 states that have recorded increases in COVID-19 infections, including Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, and other states with NFL teams. This feels like an ominous development, despite the NFL’s chief medical expert saying in early June that he was “very optimistic” that football would be played in the fall. A surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations could very possibly change that forecast.
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