The Pittsburgh Steelers season is over, this after the shameful defeat in the AFC Playoffs’ Wild Card round to the Cleveland Browns, but the drama surrounding the team and the 2020 season is far from over.
Just a few hours after the defeat by the Browns, it was reported that the Steelers would have to close down their facilities due to a player with a positive result for COVID-19. While the league was conducting its typical contact-tracking efforts, the Steelers had to leave the facility.
This meant a delay in cleaning players’ lockers, a delay in exit interviews and many other facets that come with year-end procedures.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the player who tested positive was none other than tight end Eric Ebron.
TE Eric Ebron played in Sunday’s playoff defeat after missing the regular season finale in Cleveland because he was on the reserve / Covid-19 list as a close contact. He tested positive on Monday, forcing Steelers to close its South Side facility for players and coaches.
– Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 13, 2021
Ebron lost the Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Browns after being a high-risk contact with Joe Haden, who had tested positive for COVID-19. After that initial news, it shouldn’t be a shock that Ebron tested positive.
With the end of the season, the positive result of Ebron’s test means very little to the organization. With players being allowed to live their lives normally, not having to worry about the impact of a positive test on an upcoming game, once the facility is opened, players will go through the procedures mentioned above as usual.
The hope is that Ebron does not have a serious case of COVID-19, and there has been no further spread to the rest of the organization’s players, coaches and staff. Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes on black and gold as they prepare for the rest of what can be a turbulent off-season.