The Tennessee Titans suffered a setback on Wednesday as two players have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. The Titans were looking to re-open their facility on Wednesday after having all negative tests on Monday and Tuesday. Due to NFL rules, the facility will remain closed, which means Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills may not happen.
Since Sept. 24, there have been 22 Titans players and other staff who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Last week, the league announced the Week 4 game between the Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed until Oct. 25. Some of the players who have tested positive are defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, linebacker Kamalei Correa, cornerback Kristian Fulton, wide receiver Adam Humphries, defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley, wide receiver Cameron Batson, tight end Tommy Hudson, fullback Khari Blasingame and cornerback Greg Mabin.
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“I’m hopeful, excited, that we’ve been able to string together a couple of really good days as far as the testing and really just getting back to where we were,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said on Tuesday per the Titans official website. “We’re hoping for some continued good news tomorrow morning and then we’ll see where we are with the league, and we’re hopeful to return and be able to get back in the building safely.”
Last week, the NFL and NFL Players Association went to Nashville to investigate the Titans to see if they have violated COVID-19 protocols. The Titans were forced to turn over multiple videotapes of team activities to find out where the outbreak began. The league has also implemented a new set of COVID-19 protocols in response to the Titans outbreak.
“The protocols do not implement themselves,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo, “and our progress thus far cannot lead us to complacency. Complacency is our shared opponent.” The NFL will now require a longer onboarding process for free-agent tryouts and a limited number of tryouts per week. There will also be a ban on gatherings outside the team facility as well as a new video monitoring system to ensure COVID-19 protocols are being followed. If teams fail to follow the new protocols, they could be disciplined that could include loss of draft picks or forfeit a game. For the Titans game against the Bills, it’s possible the Titans may have to forfeit if they can’t play or the game will be canceled.
