COVID News Hitting Close to Home for Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the first three weeks of the NFL season, the focus has been on football. However, with three players having tested positive for COVID-19 with the Tennessee Titans, those players participating in Sunday’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay community grappling with a massive outbreak, the focus has shifted to health and safety once again.
“It is concerning,” center Corey Linsley said on Tuesday. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t concerned about that, and obviously for the health and welfare of the people in this community – especially the people who are affected by it.”
Of the NFL’s 30 cities, Green Bay is by far the hardest hit as the virus continues to wind its way through the country. According to Johns Hopkins University by way of the NFL Players Association, there are 66.56 new cases per 100,000 residents in a rolling 14-day average. That’s more than double the second-hardest hit NFL city, Houston, with 28.66.
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Nationally, independent of whether the city hosts a professional football team, Green Bay’s infection rate is more than five times the national average of 12.2 per 100,000 residents.
“I think we always have to be very, very mindful, especially where we’re at in our area right now,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “If you look at the numbers, we’re one of the highest in the National Football League per capita. So, our guys have done an outstanding job of being disciplined, of taking care of themselves. Really, it comes down to putting the team first, and we’ve got to continue to do that. Because all it takes is one guy. If one guy gets it, it can take down this whole operation. So, our guys have done an outstanding job, and we’ve got to continue to be that way.”
On Monday, at least nine members of the Titans tested positive for COVID-19. Because the players had tested negative on Saturday, they played on Sunday at Minnesota. Now, the Titans’ facility is closed through at least Saturday, and the Vikings’ facility will be closed until testing can determine whether anyone with the team has been affected.
As of Tuesday morning, the Vikings reported no positive tests.
The Titans are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers while the Vikings will play at the Houston Texans. Those games remain scheduled, though sportsbooks took them off the board.
“It has been [a topic of discussion] just bringing awareness to us but, for us, we’re just going to continue to do what we’re doing here because collectively, as an origination, we’ve been doing well with it here and keeping it under control,” tight end Robert Tonyan said. “So, that’s what we can control is here in Green Bay so that’s what we’re going to continue to do the protocols that we’re doing and be smart off the field.”
Before the positive tests in Tennessee, only four players in the entire league were on COVID-19 reserve lists. One of those was cornerback A.J. Terrell, a cornerback for Monday night’s opponent, the Atlanta Falcons. Terrell’s test results came back positive on Saturday and he did not play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
No other members of the Falcons have tested positive.
“For us, we get COVID, that’s money out of our pocket. You know what I mean?” Linsley said. “I get it, we’re well off, but some rookies are trying to make as much money as they possibly can, some are trying to get contracts. All of us are an integral part of this business. So, just from our perspective, we have to be extra careful because people are going to miss out on paychecks. I know there was an incident where local businesses have had to shut down for weeks at a time and that’s affecting them, as well. And you can blame whoever you want to blame, but the fact of the matter is, this is the reality we live in. We have to do a better job.”
