NEWARK, NJ – The show is set to continue for the Browns against the Jets on Sunday, despite the fact that its first four recipients and two titular linebackers are on the COVID-19 reservation. The NFL determined that everyone else was safe.
“As we stated throughout the year and clubs are well aware, we make every reasonable effort, consistent with the basic principles of health and safety, to play all regular and post-season games as scheduled,” said the spokesman. Brian McCarthy to cleveland.com. “This is based on a commitment to the players, the clubs and the fans.
“Following the jointly developed NFL-NFLPA protocols, it was determined by medical professionals that there was no risk of further transmission of the virus between the team or facility and the game could be played safely as scheduled. ”
Landry, Higgins, People-Jones and 3 others placed in the COVID-19 reserve
Browns linebacker BJ Goodson tested positive for the virus on Saturday morning, and five players were identified as high-risk contacts: recipients Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge, and newcomer linebacker Jacob Phillips. All six will be out of Sunday’s game against the 1-13 Jets – a game in which the Browns can secure their first playoff spot since 2002 with some help – and Goodson should also be out of the season’s final against the Steelers. next week.
“The league communicated to clubs throughout the year that this season would have to be different and competitive concerns would be secondary to the health and safety of players and staff. Clubs carry the burden when there are problems between their employees or facilities, ” McCarthy said. “All the decisions in which the games were moved this season were to ensure the health and safety of the participants and the staff. ”
McCarthy noted that competition concerns were not taken into account when deciding when to reschedule. The Broncos had to play a game without their defenders, losing to the Saints 31-3. The Patriots had to play a game without Cam Newton and lost 26-10 to the Chiefs.
“This was similar to other cases at the beginning of the season, when clubs lost players for games or training (49ers, Packers, Raiders),” said McCarthy. “We identified close contacts with positive players and removed them for the necessary five days. This allowed the 49ers / Packers to be played despite the 49ers losing several WRs and the Packers losing several RBs. The Raiders had their entire offensive line identified as close contacts at high risk from a positive player and played that week with no practice time. ”
On the other hand, several games were moved due to medical issues, including the Steelers-Ravens game that ended up being played on December 2. The Ravens had 23 positive testers, while the Browns have one. With Robert Griffin replacing Lamar Jackson, they lost the game 19-14.
“We postponed the game to make sure we had confidence that the virus was contained, ” said McCarthy. “We believe that we have sufficiently screened the virus and identified the people at risk to continue the game without increasing the risk for the participants. Even so, the Ravens played without 10 players from their active squad as a result of positive cases and close contacts. ”
With 9 to 5, the current champions of AFC North are trying to win to return to the playoffs.
“This case is similar to games that were postponed earlier this season involving the Titans and Patriots,” said McCarthy. “In both cases, the games were not played until we caught the spread of the virus in the facility. Even so, Cam Newton of the Patriots still lost a game after his positive test. “
He explained that contact tracking has improved since some of the previous situations and that the league is better able to identify players at high risk of becoming positive.
“Working closely with the NFLPA, we identified these individuals and removed them from the team for five days,” he said. “To date, more than 25 individuals identified as close contacts at high risk have become positive. ”
If Landry and the rest of the high-risk contacts continue to test negative, they may join the team probably on Thursday, and will be available to face the Steelers at the end of the season, who can decide the crown for AFC North. Goodson must stay out of this game because positive test players must stay out of the team for at least 10 days.
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New Browns face masks for sale: This is where you can buy Cleveland Browns-themed facial covers for coronavirus protection for adults and youth, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a pack of 3 ($ 24.99). All NFL proceeds donated to the CDC Foundation.
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