NFL COVID-19 PROTOCOL

[CloakNNNdagger]

Looks like the NFL is only beginning to taste the complexities of trying to interpret the COVID testing.............and trusting their results.

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How do Lions know Matthew Stafford had a false positive?
August 4, 2020, 4:34 PM EDT

The Lions announced on Tuesday that quarterback Matthew Stafford had a false positive test for COVID-19. That claim leads to a fairly important question, one that may come up against and again this year: How do they know it was a false positive?

“As a result of a False-Positive test result, he was forced due to NFL/NFLPA protocols to sit out until he received two negative tests,” the team said in its statement. “His testing sequence for the Pre-Entry period was: negative, negative, False-Positive. The next three tests were all negative. To be clear, Matthew does NOT have COVID-19 and never has had COVID-19 and the test in question was a False-Positive. Also, all of Matthew’s family have been tested and everyone is negative.”
Again, how do the Lions know it was a false positive?

The Lions presumably are assuming it was a false positive because it was sandwiched around multiple negative results. In theory, however, the negatives could all have been false. (The chances of that many false negatives is slim.) Or perhaps Stafford could have had the virus for a very short period of time.

Regardless, without some sort of a clear, objective test that declares the positive result to be false (for example, a re-test of the exact same sample that tested positive), there’s no way to know for sure that it was a false positive test. So why insist with such clarity and certainty that it was a false positive?

That said, false positives happen. False negatives do, too. If false results are being generated, they can cut both ways. This leads to perhaps the biggest concern the NFL should have regarding COVID-19 testing: How many false negatives will happen, resulting in a player or coach slipping through the cracks and shedding virus and infecting others in a practice or a game?

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The NFL Players Association says that 56 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since players began reporting to TCs last week..............and this is before any type of "contact."

 

[austins23]

The NFL Players Association says that 56 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since players began reporting to TCs last week..............and this is before any type of "contact."

@CloakNNNdagger this is not going to go well for the NFL is it? I mean there is just ZERO way to have a football season safely, is there?

 

[Thorn]

I mean there is just ZERO way to have a football season safely, is there?

I'm not CnD, but we should all know the best way to prevent spreading of cv19 is social distancing and masks. By definition, you can't do that in football. Well, maybe the masks, but wearing surgical masks while playing football is silly. I hate these frigging masks, but you can be sure as hell I got one on when I'm in public.

Professional sports should just be shut down until there's a vaccine. <-- IMO of course

 

[austins23]

I'm not CnD, but we should all know the best way to prevent spreading of cv19 is social distancing and masks. By definition, you can't do that in football. Well, maybe the masks, but wearing surgical masks while playing football is silly. I hate these frigging masks, but you can be sure as hell I got one on when I'm in public.

Professional sports should just be shut down until there's a vaccine. <-- IMO of course

I agree with you. As much as I like baseball, I'm of the opinion it shouldn't even have started. Football is an entirely different animal. Just no way they can be kept away from this virus. But the NFL thinks it is above it all...go for it and see what happens.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

@CloakNNNdagger this is not going to go well for the NFL is it? I mean there is just ZERO way to have a football season safely, is there?

I don't know if it's ZERO...............but I wouldn't think of taking the odds to Las Vegas.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The NFL is essentially creatively shirking liability.
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League deferring all issues of COVID-19 and coaching staffs to teams
August 6, 2020, 10:20 AM EDT

Recently, the league said that opt-out procedures for coaches and assistant coaches will be treated as individual team matters. It will be up to the teams to deal with more issues than that when it comes to coaching staffs.

Per a league source, the NFL believes that all matters regarding the pandemic and coaching staffs fall within the purview of the individual clubs. This includes procedures applicable to protecting, for example, coaches who fall into the same high-risk categories that qualify players for a full-season opt-out with no-strings-attached compensation.

For those members of the coaching staffs not inclined to opt out (assuming their teams even let them), what protocols will be used to keep them safe this season? Again, the league says that’s up to the teams.

This means that, if/when a head coach or assistant coach contracts COVID-19 and has a bad outcome, the league office will be able to say, “Don’t blame us.” The teams need to realize that this will be the attitude, and they need to come up with strategies for protecting the coaching staffs, especially those who are at higher risk of serious illness or death.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

We may be seeing many more opt outs.

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Players with fully-guaranteed salaries in 2020 should take closer look at opting out
August 6, 2020, 1:22 PM EDT

The final resolution to the treatment of fully-guaranteed salaries in the event games are lost in 2020 has created an extra incentive for certain players to seriously consider opting out before Thursday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. Specifically, players who have fully-guaranteed salaries in 2020 should take a close look at opting out, based on the specific terms of the remainders of their contracts.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Less than 1 hour till the NFL opt out deadline.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

How did the NFL survive playing through the H1N1 killer virus?

Why not dust off the NFL H1N1 protocols that successfully allowed these athletes to play a full season with little to no disruption.

Also, I’m aok with players opting out but why wasn’t there any opt outs during H1N1? Heck, the rate of infections was higher and the kill rate covered the full human demographic instead of one primary demographic.

COVID-19 is what it is but so was H1N1.....which I was far more concerned about.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

There were a total of 67 NFL players that opted out prior to the deadline.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Still trying to figure out the value of contact tracers (now and later) placed on NFL players.

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Contact tracers are posing a potential problem in locker rooms
August 7, 2020, 1:40 PM EDT

Playing football and social distancing doing mix. The NFL nevertheless will try to keep players at least six feet apart when they’re not practicing or playing.

Per multiple sources, one specific issue has emerged: In locker rooms, it’s difficult to keep players more than six feet apart.
As one source explained it, the contact tracers are going off regularly in the locker room. Another source suggested that the procedures eventually may change, with players removing the devices before entering the locker room.
THE REST OF THE STORY

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So you remove the tracers when one of the scenarios of greatest player proximity is most likely to occur..................makes sense to me............you don't always want to be listening to those pesky annoying sounds.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

NFL adjusts COVID testing to address false positives like Matthew Stafford's
Justin Rogers, The Detroit NewsPublished 6:05 p.m. ET Aug. 7, 2020

After a false positive test landed Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list this past weekend weekend, requiring the team to send out a press release to explain the situation, the league has adjusted its testing policy to address such abnormalities.

While any asymptomatic player testing positive for the first time is still required to quarantine outside the team's facility, he can now be cleared 24 hours later if he passes two separate confirmatory tests.

Previously, any positive or presumed positive test required a minimum five-day stay on the COVID reserve list.
THE REST OF THE STORY

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The NFL is adjusting for false positives, but is doing nothing (it's not even in the conversation) to adjust the much more important issue of false negatives for what great negative impact it potentially has on the viability of the NFL season. A false positive may have an adverse affect on that individual player's status/finances.............but a false negative will no doubt have potentially more far reaching implications regarding all players' health. And very shortly, according to protocol, the NFL's plan is to decrease the testing. Just more sad proof that the game going on is much more important than the safety of the players.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

This article is worth reading to the end. Meanwhile, someone ought to lend Sanders a sock.........with a strong suggestion as to where to place it..........

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Deion Sanders calls out those who opt out
August 8, 2020, 10:30 AM EDT


Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio recently decided not to share his views about players opting out. Former Washington (and Atlanta and Dallas and San Francisco and Baltimore) cornerback Deion Sanders has decided to go the other way.

“All Players OPTING out in all sports PLEASE BELIEVE the game will go on without u,” Sanders said on Twitter. “This is a business & don’t u EVER forget that. There’s NO ONE that’s bigger than the game itself. Only the ref, umps & officials are that important that u can’t play without them. NOT YOU! #Truth.”

With the opt-out window closed for the NFL and with Deion probably not particularly concerned about opt outs in other sports, his message unmistakably is intended for college football players. Perhaps specifically those at Florida State, the college he attended and openly aspires to return to as head coach. Given his desire to be a college football head coach (he has guaranteed he’ll have a head coaching job in 2021), it’s no surprise that he shares the viewpoints and attitudes of the men who are bracing to see how many of their players say sayonara to college football for 2020.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

If college football season doesn’t happen, NFL likely will play on Saturdays
August 8, 2020, 5:15 PM EDT


Bad news: There may be no college football on Saturdays this year.
Good news: There may be NFL football on Saturdays this year.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL likely will move games from Sundays to Saturday, if college football doesn’t proceed this season. It’s unclear whether the games would be broadcast, streamed, or distributed on a pay-per-view basis, but the league likely would backfill the vacant Saturday windows with NFL content.

The easiest approach would be to treat each Saturday like the late-season tripleheader the league staged in 2019, with a game at 1:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET. That would trim the Sunday slate by three games each week.

There’s another wrinkle that would have to be addressed, quickly. The league would need a one-year dispensation from the broadcast antitrust exemption, which allows the NFL to sell TV rights in a league-wide bundle but prevents the NFL from televising games on Friday or Saturday from Labor Day through early December.

Regardless, with college football teetering on the brink and the NFL confident that its games will be played, 2020 could result in four days of pro football every week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

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So now after there's been strong debate re. doing away with Thursday Night Football because of the complications of shortened recovery (injury risk) and difficulty in organizing "fair" scheduling, the NFL could be complicating things even more..............seemingly obviously, not for the benefit of the players or fans, but solely for the intent of finding "make up" revenues.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

If college football season doesn’t happen, NFL likely will play on Saturdays
August 8, 2020, 5:15 PM EDT


Bad news: There may be no college football on Saturdays this year.
Good news: There may be NFL football on Saturdays this year.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL likely will move games from Sundays to Saturday, if college football doesn’t proceed this season. It’s unclear whether the games would be broadcast, streamed, or distributed on a pay-per-view basis, but the league likely would backfill the vacant Saturday windows with NFL content.

The easiest approach would be to treat each Saturday like the late-season tripleheader the league staged in 2019, with a game at 1:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET. That would trim the Sunday slate by three games each week.

There’s another wrinkle that would have to be addressed, quickly. The league would need a one-year dispensation from the broadcast antitrust exemption, which allows the NFL to sell TV rights in a league-wide bundle but prevents the NFL from televising games on Friday or Saturday from Labor Day through early December.

Regardless, with college football teetering on the brink and the NFL confident that its games will be played, 2020 could result in four days of pro football every week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

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So now after there's been strong debate re. doing away with Thursday Night Football because of the complications of shortened recovery (injury risk) and difficulty in organizing "fair" scheduling, the NFL could be complicating things even more..............seemingly obviously, not for the benefit of the players or fans, but solely for the intent of finding "make up" revenues.

NFC homegames on Saturday and AFC homegames on Sunday.

 

[Corrosion]

@CloakNNNdagger this is not going to go well for the NFL is it? I mean there is just ZERO way to have a football season safely, is there?

The NBA has the only working model for team sports and you simply can not social distance in any team / contact sport.

It starts with testing prior to bringing teams together and after that isolation from all outside contact.

Anything else is just waiting for a bomb to drop - All it takes is One case to set off that tidal wave of infections.

Could the NFL do it ? Sure they could ... but the logistics are a nightmare compared to that of the NBA which is 15 players per team reduced to 22 teams from 30 where the NBA has 55 players and a horde of coaches , staff & medical personnel.

Can it be done ? The answer is yes - Just look at the NBA who has yet to report a case inside their bubble.

Will the NFL do it ? I don't think so , at least out of the starting gate. If you ask me , they are taking the NBA's success as a sign that they can have a season but not as a cautionary tale .
Case in point - The NFL is still talking about having fans in the stands while the NBA has conceded that to have a season at all , Isolation is the only way.

What I think we'll see is the NFL open the season much like MLB has , teams will have outbreaks and a shutdown will occur followed by teams being in individual bubbles in their home cities and a restart.

 

[cuppacoffee]

How did the NFL survive playing through the H1N1 killer virus?

Why not dust off the NFL H1N1 protocols that successfully allowed these athletes to play a full season with little to no disruption.

Also, I’m aok with players opting out but why wasn’t there any opt outs during H1N1? Heck, the rate of infections was higher and the kill rate covered the full human demographic instead of one primary demographic.

COVID-19 is what it is but so was H1N1.....which I was far more concerned about.

I think we both know the answer to your question.

 

[Corrosion]

How did the NFL survive playing through the H1N1 killer virus?

Why not dust off the NFL H1N1 protocols that successfully allowed these athletes to play a full season with little to no disruption.

Also, I’m aok with players opting out but why wasn’t there any opt outs during H1N1? Heck, the rate of infections was higher and the kill rate covered the full human demographic instead of one primary demographic.

COVID-19 is what it is but so was H1N1.....which I was far more concerned about.

Lets not pretend they are anything alike because they aren't. One is a a strain of the flu , the other a novel virus.
A vaccine was available for H1N1 within months as it was closely related to other flu strains.
With Covid-19 they have to start from scratch. There is no timetable for an effective vaccine , if one is ever produced.

H1N1 killed ~12,500 in America out of 61 million cases in its first year.

Covid has infected just over 5 million Americans and killed at least 165,000 in 4-5 months.

This aint "swine flu".


H1N1 flu vs. COVID-19: Comparing pandemics and the response

H1N1 flu vs. COVID-19: Comparing pandemics and the response

The year was 2009, and the pandemic was caused by a strain of influenza known as swine flu, then H1N1. But similarities to the current virus outbreak end there.

medicalxpress.com

The year was 2009, and the pandemic was caused by a strain of influenza known as swine flu, then H1N1. But similarities to the current virus outbreak end there.


COVID-19, the illness caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome—known as SARS—coronavirus 2, is much more contagious and many times more deadly. There are no approved treatments or vaccines, leading to lockdowns and quarantines ordered by public health officials.

The novel coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness and deaths in older people, although scientists are rushing to learn more

With H1N1, children and young adults were more likely to get sick because older people had built up some immunity through exposure to similar strains of flu that had circulated decades before.

Nearly all who caught H1N1 developed mild to moderate symptoms, but it spooked health officials because of the higher risk for young people and pregnant women.

In perhaps the most important difference between the two pandemics of the 21st century, H1N1 illnesses responded well to anti-viral drugs already used to treat the flu. People in close contact with someone who caught H1N1 were commonly given the drugs as a precaution, limiting its spread. In 2009, Missouri had a stockpile of 600,000 doses of such drugs and received another 200,000 from the federal government. There is no approved treatment for COVID-19.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I've posted early on in the COVID thread that there are a wide variety of COVID victims which have "recovered," but have suffered long-term to permanent damage to many body systems (including lung, kidney, liver, brain, etc.). As this article reveals, post COVID cardiac morbidity which is being detected in the general population (many COVID positive, demonstrating no symptoms or mild symptoms) is now being recognized as something to be watched for in athletes.

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At the Heart of It: Cardiac Inflammation the Next Virus Hurdle for College Leaders

Dr. Matthew Martinez has studied so many images of a beating heart that he couldn’t possibly count them. Maybe 500,000. Maybe 1 million. As a non-invasive cardiologist, his job revolves around the constant evaluation of pictures of the heart.

He knows what a strong, healthy heart looks like. He knows what a poor, struggling heart looks like. And he knows what a heart looks like after COVID-19’s tentacles have reached the most vital organ in the human body. “This virus,” he says, “seems to have an affinity for causing damage to the heart.”

In a small percentage of infected patients, COVID-19 leaves behind troubling scars in the throbbing muscle within their chests, known as myocarditis. The virus directly invades the heart muscle, weakening and damaging its cells, through blood clots and inflammatory responses to viral infection. Earlier during the pandemic, doctors only associated the condition with severe and, oftentimes, hospitalized COVID victims, usually elderly patients or those with underlying health problems.

Lately, physicians are identifying the condition in young, healthy Americans — including athletes. “The last month or two, even asymptomatic young people are developing myocardial injury,” Martinez says.

Of all the hurdles impeding a 2020 college football season, there is one roadblock that has gone mostly overshadowed, buried beneath the other more prominent obstacles, such as testing, travel, a bubble-less college campus and quarantine requirements. That hurdle? The heart.

“That’s what has been the final straw,” says a team doctor at a prominent college football program. “The commissioners are finally figuring it all out. The commissioners are going, ‘Oh my gosh!’ And the doctors are like, ‘Yeah...’”

University leaders and conference executives are grappling with new information from the medical world about the virus’ after effects on its victims, exacerbating an already difficult conundrum: risk it and play a fall season, or sit out and watch an industry potentially crumble? Revelations from physicians like Martinez have deepened the debate.

In fact, the brewing heart issue is a topic on recent calls among the Power 5 conference medical task force, including commissioners and team doctors. Fear over myocarditis has reached the top level of the sport, with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren having both privately expressed serious concern over the condition. One Power 5 team doctor, who is privy to conference commissioner calls, says the heart condition is a primary topic during discussions. “We discuss it on every call,” the doctor says under the condition of anonymity.

The issue reared its head Saturday in what was, to this point, the most significant college football news of the shutdown: The Mid-American Conference became the first FBS league to cancel its fall season. The MAC’s medical advisory board unanimously advised conference leaders to suspend the season. And while financial implications were a factor too (MAC schools, on a normal year, lose money on football), the long term and somewhat unknown health impacts of COVID-19 victims — including myocarditis — was an essential discussion point.

“That’s what people aren’t getting,” says a high-ranking MAC administrator with knowledge of the presidents’ call Saturday. “It’s pulmonary, cardiac issues.”

Physicians themselves are still learning about a novel virus and its post-recovery impacts on the human body. Myocarditis is one of many after effects, but for athletes, it is the most serious, says Martinez, the medical director of sports cardiology at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey. Martinez knows a thing or two about athletes’ hearts. He’s the league cardiologist for Major League Soccer, is the cardiac-specific consultant for the NBA and on the medical committee for the NFL.

He acknowledges that the cases in athletes with COVID-related heart impacts are very small. Among professional, college and youth league athletes, he’s seen no more than a dozen in the US. However, there are likely many more. Some go undetected or have not been brought to his attention. Doctors aren’t exactly sure how common the condition is. Some have publicly stated that recovered COVID-19 patients have shown as much as a 50% impact on their heart, but with striking degrees in severity.

A recent German study released in July revealed heart inflammation in 60 of 100 recovered virus patients. That number included patients who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

A college team doctor told Sports Illustrated on Saturday that he’s aware of roughly 10 COVID-related heart impacts in all of college football, many or all of them from mildly symptomatic players. While the number is a fraction of the total population, the potential consequences of heart injury are grievous. Myocarditis symptoms include chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, shortness of breath and, in the most serious case, sudden death. Already, myocarditis represents roughly 2-5% of all sudden death cases in American sports.

While many COVID-related myocarditis cases in athletes remain private, some have emerged publicly. Left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, projected as the Red Sox No. 1 pitcher this year, developed myocarditis after contracting COVID-19. He will miss the 2020 season. The mother of an Indiana offensive lineman suggested in a Facebook post earlier this week that her son may have heart complications as an after effect of the virus.

At least one college football player has developed an enlarged heart after contracting COVID-19, a team trainer told SI under the condition of anonymity. The recovery time for such heart damage is a minimum of three months of no activity, says Martinez.

Martinez says he has heard from virtually every major college football conference this summer regarding the heart issue. Some of them are forging ahead, he says, with a plan to “pivot” if things go awry. “Others have said, ‘I think we oughta stop,’” says Martinez. “The MAC did that today.”

His advice to conference officials has been to make cardiac screenings mandatory for those who have contracted the virus. It’s why the most recent conference medical plans include cardiac screenings under the return-to-play protocol.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The Dallas Cowboys plan on playing all of our football games and we plan on playing them in front of our fans.

Jerry Jones

 

[Double Barrel]

Jerry Jone$

Fixed it for you.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Daily COVID-19 testing to extend until Sept. 5
Posted by Darin Gantt on August 12, 2020, 1:32 PM EDT

When the NFL and NFLPA agreed to the ground rules to return to work, players were insistent on daily testing.
They got two weeks worth then, but now have another month.

The NFLPA just announced an agreement with the NFL for daily testing of players to continue until Sept. 5.
“We will continue to monitor positivity rates within each club and relevant information from each team community to inform our assessment of testing frequency ahead of the regular season,” the union said in a statement.

While it’s impossible for the NFL to maintain the same kind of numbers the NBA and NHL are enjoying at the moment without creating a bubble, the increased testing gives them a better chance to stay on top of any positives before they become outbreaks.

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So let me get this straight............daily testing is important up until the beginning of the season.............but when the season with its increased "contact" is likely to increase risks, and as the season proceeds the probability of outside contacts with family and friends (and probably bartenders) who have multiple outside contacts of their own.............then we see less need for testing...........makes sense to me.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Report: Seahawks cut Kemah Siverand for trying to sneak woman into team hotel
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 13, 2020, 2:49 PM EDT

NFL teams are always strict about not allowing unauthorized visitors into training camp, but this year especially so. As Seattle’s Kemah Siverand found out the hard way.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the Seahawks cut Siverand after he was caught on video trying to sneak a female visitor into the team hotel. The woman was reportedly wearing Seahawks gear in an effort to make her look like a player who had access to the hotel.

NFL teams are under strict orders not to engage in any kind of activities that could allow an outbreak of COVID-19. Players who break the rules are subject to discipline, and in Siverand’s case it was the ultimate discipline, losing his job.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Five on-field official and 2 replay officials have opted out...................None of the on-field officials are referees.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

'Caught in the middle': Coaches are at higher risk in pandemic but not opting out
6:18 AM CT

Tim McManusESPN Staff Writer

Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is 58 years old and a survivor of triple bypass surgery. While with the Miami Hurricanes in 2010, some discomfort during his daily workouts prompted him to see a doctor. He was given a stress test, which revealed significant artery blockage that would require immediate open-heart surgery to save his life.
"They said, 'Do you understand you're 99% blocked in the 'widower' vein?" Stoutland said later that year. "I don't even know what that is, but it doesn't sound good."

He spent 10 days in the hospital. Ever dedicated to his work, he planned to conduct film sessions with his players from his hospital bed, until head coach Randy Shannon found out about it and shut the idea down.

Stoutland is one of the many coaches considered high risk as a result of age or underlying health conditions to become seriously ill should he contract the coronavirus. They are among those taking the greatest health gambles by participating in the 2020 football season amid a pandemic, but Stoutland didn't relay much concern over returning to the workplace during a videoconference in late July, his confidence bolstered by the protocols in place at the Eagles' facility.

"Coming through the front door, going through the gate, getting tested each morning, I've got to tell you, I've never felt more safe in my life," Stoutland said, pulling down his mask to address the media virtually from an otherwise empty room. "I told my wife that. I told my kids that. For every little detail that's going on right now -- [sanitizing] the door handles, everything that I notice -- I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, they think of everything to keep us safe.'"

The same week Stoutland made those comments, the virus slipped past those safeguards and found its way into Philadelphia's NovaCare Complex, carried unknowingly by head coach Doug Pederson, who tested negative multiple times following initial exposure outside the building before a positive test developed. Pederson was sent home, as was quarterback coach and pass game coordinator Press Taylor, because he had been in close contact with Pederson.
While the incident did not lead to a serious outcome -- Taylor has since tested negative, Pederson remains asymptomatic and both have returned to the complex and the Eagles' protocols appear to have helped prevent further spread -- it illuminated the cracks in a bubble-less operation where the virus can be picked up outside the fortress walls and brought in undetected due to imperfections in the testing system. More infiltrations are expected across the NFL, and as social distance gives way to the physical closeness football demands -- teams begin padded practice next week -- the chances of greater internal spread naturally increases.

To date, at least nine NFL coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a source familiar with the situation. Eight of those cases have occurred since June 17. The exception is New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who announced he had the coronavirus in March. Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn told his players by Zoom recently that he had contracted the virus -- a moment that served as the opening for this season of HBO's "Hard Knocks." Lynn, Payton and Pederson are the only coaches whose positive tests have been reported publicly to date.

There are 102 team staffers across the league with known positives since June. That is compared to 107 players this offseason -- 64 which have occurred since reporting for training camp -- who have tested positive for COVID-19.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Report: Seahawks cut Kemah Siverand for trying to sneak woman into team hotel
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 13, 2020, 2:49 PM EDT

NFL teams are always strict about not allowing unauthorized visitors into training camp, but this year especially so. As Seattle’s Kemah Siverand found out the hard way.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the Seahawks cut Siverand after he was caught on video trying to sneak a female visitor into the team hotel. The woman was reportedly wearing Seahawks gear in an effort to make her look like a player who had access to the hotel.

NFL teams are under strict orders not to engage in any kind of activities that could allow an outbreak of COVID-19. Players who break the rules are subject to discipline, and in Siverand’s case it was the ultimate discipline, losing his job.

I wonder if such infractions are handled the same way if a star player is found to be involved in bending or breaking the COVID rules instead of an UDFA just coming out of college and even then having had very little promise. I'm not a clairvoyant, but I think I pretty well guess the answer.

 

[Double Barrel]

I wonder if such infractions are handled the same way if a star player is found to be involved in bending or breaking the COVID rules instead of an UDFA just coming out of college and even then having had very little promise. I'm not a clairvoyant, but I think I pretty well guess the answer.

View attachment 6494

I have no doubt that it's treated the same as Jimmy Johnson once said about Troy Aikman falling asleep in a meeting. Anyone else and they were probably being cut. With Aikman, he gently woke him up, or, asked if he could get him a pillow.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

How did the NFL survive playing through the H1N1 killer virus?

Why not dust off the NFL H1N1 protocols that successfully allowed these athletes to play a full season with little to no disruption.

Also, I’m aok with players opting out but why wasn’t there any opt outs during H1N1? Heck, the rate of infections was higher and the kill rate covered the full human demographic instead of one primary demographic.

COVID-19 is what it is but so was H1N1.....which I was far more concerned about.

H1N1 was an entirely different "animal." There were~60,000,000 US cases with only ~12,500 deaths. Like seasonal flu, most people recovered from the H1N1 swine flu within a week without medication. For those that required any treatment, in contrast to COVID-19, antivirals such as Tamiflu were quite effective when called upon.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1296157045129916417

At this time, with the limited SalivaDirect testing which has been performed, I am very skeptical of this test's accuracy. I posted this a while back in the COVID thread:

There is a new COVID saliva test that has been given a new EUA (emergency use authorization)............keep in mind that there are other COVID saliva tests which have been previously given this status. SalivaDirect was developed by Yale. Most of its basic study has been on hospitalized and seriously ill patients........all of which would have a heavy viral load. There has been very NBA bubble testing experience (the NBA bubble has produced no positive tests of any type, so that this new test is hardly a valid environment to have tested its accuracy or overall validity). The FDA has called its accuracy "acceptable." Sports are going to latch onto this test because it is apparently easier and quick. However, following review of all the available data, there is virtually no numbers/data involving asymptomatic subjects which would be expected to have a very light viral load..............this asymptomatic group being by far the most important aspect in testing sports team athletes. [Yale has said the test is now being studied in asymptomatic people through the program with the NBA and its players union............I find it curious how this can ever happen or what type of useful information can be gained when the NBA bubble population has produced no positive cases]

Although the media is claiming that this test is just as accurate as the nasopharyngeal swab test. In truth, even under the limitations placed on the SalivaDirect test (such as low overall tests evaluated..........and virtually no testing of asymptomatic subjects), the company has admitted to an accuracy of only 90% of the nasopharyngeal swab tests (which are lucky to be 80% accurate. So, for all you mathematicians out there...................90% of 80% is consistent with having an expected accuracy of no more than 72%...............and per their "study," this would apply to symptomatic subjects.................a significantly lesser accuracy would be expected when introducing the testing of asymptomatic subject who would be expected to carry a much lesser (harder to detect) viral load to be necessarily detected by the test.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

CB Bashaud Breeland has been suspended for the 1st 4 games of the 2020 season for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

NFL isn’t sure about bubble idea during playoffs
Aaron Wilson Aug. 19, 2020


No logical suggestions and ideas are being dismissed by the NFL while the league cautiously tries to make plans while adapting to the unpredictable novel coronavirus pandemic.

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton recommended instituting a bubble for the playoffs during a recent competition committee meeting.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said Wednesday that the idea has merit, but he was noncommittal on whether the league will implement Payton’s suggestion. Vincent emphasized that any type of bubble would have to be voluntary.

“Not sure if that is something we could do actually legally,” Vincent said Wednesday during a conference call with Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. “But the concept itself as you start driving toward the championship run, the players could do it if they choose to do it. Not club-driven, but to create some form of bubble. We didn’t use the term ‘bubble,’ but that secure environment to make sure there is no risk of outside (infection) as the teams start driving toward that championship run.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

wrong thread

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Report: Titans tackle Isaiah Wilson attended an off-campus party at Tennessee State
Posted by Mike Florio on August 21, 2020, 9:43 PM EDT


At a time when off-campus parties throughout the country are spreading the coronavirus to college students and student-athletes, it likely was inevitable that an NFL player would be present at one of them.

Paul Kuharsky reports that Titans tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft, recently received a trespass warning from Tennessee State from Tennessee State police after attending a party in TSU off-campus apartments.

Per the report, Wilson considered jumping from a second-story balcony to evade campus law-enforcement officials before accepting the consequences for his decision to engage in the kind of activities that could introduce COVID-19 to the facilities of his team.

“We’re aware of the situation at TSU during a no-visitors policy and continue to stress the importance of good decision making as we go outside the facility,” coach Mike Vrabel said, via Kuharsky.

“We’ve handled it internally,” G.M. Jon Robinson said.

If Wilson were a bottom-of-the-roster player, he likely would have experienced the same type of swift and unrelenting justice visited upon former Seahawks rookie Kemah Siverand, who was caught trying to bring a woman dressed in Seahawks gear into the team hotel. Wilson’s draft status undoubtedly saved his job, even though his behavior put the entire roster in jeopardy of catching the virus.

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That's exactly what I said when I posted Siverand's release.

If I recollect, Wilson was placed on the COVID reserve list the end of July. Wonder how this plays into what was recently discovered.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Eight-person committee will advise the Commissioner on COVID-19 issues
August 20, 2020, 10:35 PM EDT


The names are now known as to the members of the outside advisory committee that will assist Commissioner Roger Goodell on issues relating to COVID-19, throughout the 2020 season.

They are, per a source with knowledge of the situation, former NFL cornerback Champ Bailey, former NFL receiver Isaac Bruce, former NFL G.M. Charley Casserly, former NFL head coach Tom Coughlin, former NFL head coach Marvin Lewis, former NFL safety Troy Polamalu, former NFL G.M. Bill Polian, and former NFL G.M. Rick Smith.

The league decided to compile a committee of former executives, coaches, and players not currently connected to the NFL, in order to avoid the obvious conflicts of interest that would apply to members of the Competition Committee, who currently are affiliated with teams that will be affected, directly or indirectly, by the decisions the Commissioner may have to make.

As explained during a Wednesday conference call with reporters by NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent, the committee will advise Goodell on matters relating to whether games should proceed, and also on issues regarding playoff seeding if some teams play fewer than 16 games in 2020, due to the pandemic.

It’s unclear whether objective standards will apply to the decisions that will be made, or whether each case will be assessed based on its own facts and circumstances. Regardless, it will be critical to create a sense of consistency and fairness for all teams in all situations.

Finally, the fact that the eight members of the committee aren’t currently connected to teams doesn’t mean they won’t have their own biases and prejudices, based on past affiliations and/or current friends or enemies.

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A group of medically knowledgeable go-to members to make play or no play decisions............this seems so NFLish.............why not just flip coins.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

NFL had many positive COVID-19 tests on Saturday, all from one lab
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 23, 2020, 9:57 AM EDT

COVID-19 testing isn’t perfect, and today the NFL is faced with the question of what to do if a sudden, sharp increase in positive tests seems more likely to be the result of a lab error than an actual outbreak.

The league reported today that one lab it uses reported many positive tests, while all the other labs the league uses reported no positive tests.

“Saturday’s daily COVID testing returned several positive tests from each of the clubs serviced by the same laboratory in New Jersey,” the league said in a statement. “We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive tests. clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures as outlined in the NFL-NFLPA’s health and safety protocols to include contact tracing, isolation of individuals and temporarily adjusting the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results.”

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was initially placed on the reserve/COVID-19 test over what he and the Lions later said was a false positive. This statement sounds like the league suspects it had many false positives. If a lab error like this happened during the regular season, it could result in many healthy players having to be sidelined, or games being canceled. It’s one of the many potential problems facing the league as it attempts to play a season in a pandemic.

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The reports report that there have been a couple of teams which have reported a group of positive COVID positive players. False positives have been suspected...........not confirmed as the article presents.............these reports because of their simultaneously high group numbers have only been presented by the teams as "unlikely" to all be positive. Maybe, although "unlikely," it could be that numerous players were indeed exposed to the COVID virus, just like had occurred in baseball. To rule out a false positive, it would require 2 subsequent negative tests by another method. BioReference Labs which the NFL chose to process their COVID tests is overloaded trying to handle their regular public test load with the addition of the NFL testing. As an aside, BioReference Labs have garnered a poor public reputation in timely reporting of tests, reliability and accuracy. But they offered the desperate startup NFL a deal they couldn't refuse. And now instead of the nasopharyngeal as the source of swabbing, they are using the more comfortable lower nasal swab which has been purported to be as accurate as the nasopharyngeal technique, while in fact this more superficial test is only 90% as accurate as the deeper test.

The NFL is not trying to maintain maximum player safety. It appears that instead it is mostly concerned in preserving a semblance of their revenues.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The 77 NFL positive tests were rerun and found to be negative. BioReference Labs has reported that the false positives were due to "contamination"...................but they have not found the source. Of interest is that the false positives were run on the "rapid test".............a test known to have problems with accuracy, especially false positives. The classic PCR tests were used for the retests. This is a bit curious, as to my understanding, per legitimate COVID testing protocols, whenever a positive test is obtained [especially when using a rapid antigen test in an asymptomatic subject, it must be confirmed using another test technique [usually PCR]. [BTW, the NFL's and other tests being used have enough inaccuracies, that the only way to attain a true semblance of accuracy is to always double test]. The classic PCR test used to have proven the original positive tests false have ~20% false negatives.............makes you stop and think...........could any of those 77 positive tests really have been positive?

EDIT ADDITION UPDATE: Now, the NFL is saying that the original testing was with the PCR test. However, somehow, according to some reports of the false positive fiasco, it doesn't look like the NFL/BioReference Labs is following it own update testing protocol which was placed specifically in concern for false positives [after the Stafford incident]..........they evidently, relied on one second confirmatory test.......the rapid antigen test to clear the players.............a test that in asymptomatic cases have a sensitivity of only 85% to pick up a positive COVID player.

NFL updates COVID-19 testing protocols to address false positives
Published: Aug 07, 2020 at 06:43 PM
Nick Shook
Around The NFL Writer

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

 

[OptimisticTexan]

False/Positive issues with COVID-19 testing isn't exclusive to the NFL. There have been situations with other tests being contaminated. How in the heck do these tests become contaminated when the folks administrating the tests are COVID-19 free? This whole thing has just become an overall shite show b/c politics and big pharma can't keep their slimy hands out of the mix.

 

[cuppacoffee]

False/Positive issues with COVID-19 testing isn't exclusive to the NFL. There have been situations with other tests being contaminated. How in the heck do these tests become contaminated when the folks administrating the tests are COVID-19 free? This whole thing has just become an overall shite show b/c politics and big pharma can't keep their slimy hands out of the mix.

And the buzz word is "follow the science." Yeah right, only problem is you can become dizzy after going in so many circles.

Gotten to the point where it is one large circle jerk. And don't forget to wear your useless mask.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Another twist to complicate things in the upcoming season.

The NFL has just decided that it will not allow players into training facilities the day after games, based on memo sent to teams today. Anyone playing Sunday can’t go in Monday. Exceptions made for players on short weeks with games Thursday or players who require medical care.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Veterans fret about young players steering clear of COVID-19

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Fine examples set by HCs, especially now that Gruden revealed that he was COVID positive earlier in the year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1308517297917747200

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

The Falcons’ 1st first-round CB draft pick is the first player to be placed on the league’s COVID-19 reserve list this season. It seems that the NFL is not very concerned about contract tracing that leads to quarantining others.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310159089046114305

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I have little confidence that the NFL contact tracing process is followed to encourage maintaining safety, rather than ignored in order to sweep resulting player/team risk under the rug.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310055426923388930

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I expected this...........one has to ask, how likely is it that there were no contacts identified. Furthermore, with the known fact that detection after initial exposure will be delayed by a 2-3 days......in addition to the known inaccuracy of the tests.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310218565929369601

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

As all the true details are revealed, this is exactly what I've been concerned about.
************************************************************************

Report: A.J. Terrell had two positive tests, one negative test
September 27, 2020, 12:17 PM EDT

When it comes to COVID-19 testing, results can vary. Vary they did for Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Terrell’s placement on the COVID-19/reserve list came after Terrell had three tests. Two came back positive, and one ended up negative.

It was enough to result in the league and the Falcons keeping Terrell out for Sunday’s game. It also was enough to result in additional testing and contact tracing of Falcons players and personnel, resulting in the team learning at 7:30 a.m. ET that there are no further positives.

And now the hope will be that none of the negatives were the same kind of negative that Terrell generated in one of his three recent tests, a/k/a a false one.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Texans had false positive COVID-19 tests, retests all negative
Sep. 28, 2020

The Texans dealt with a batch of false positive COVID-19 tests for multiple players in advance of Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.

Subsequent retests were all negative and no one's status was affected for the game at Heinz Field.

"The system worked," a source said.

The Texans haven't had any positive COVID-19 tests or players placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list since reporting for training camp after several players tested positive during the summer. Testing is administered by BioReference Laboratories for all NFL teams.

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As I've posted before, I have no confidence in the NFL's approved testing process, especially with BioReference Labs' shady reputation. The almost non-existent players demonstrating COVID-positive player tests in the NFL is unrealistic, and I suspect manipulation by the NFL to avoid further financial impact.

 

[dream_team]

Texans had false positive COVID-19 tests, retests all negative
Sep. 28, 2020

The Texans dealt with a batch of false positive COVID-19 tests for multiple players in advance of Sunday's road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.

Subsequent retests were all negative and no one's status was affected for the game at Heinz Field.

"The system worked," a source said.

The Texans haven't had any positive COVID-19 tests or players placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list since reporting for training camp after several players tested positive during the summer. Testing is administered by BioReference Laboratories for all NFL teams.

*************************************************************************************


As I've posted before, I have no confidence in the NFL's approved testing process, especially with BioReference Labs' shady reputation. The almost non-existent players demonstrating COVID-positive player tests in the NFL is unrealistic, and I suspect manipulation by the NFL to avoid further financial impact.

Well, lets see how they handle the Titans case. Word is Titans are cancelling all in-person activities until Saturday.