According to ProFootballTalk, a Seattle Dragons player has tested positive for COVID-19. The unidentified player began feeling ill on Tuesday and found out he tested positive on Friday.
This comes after the XFL suspended the 2020 season last Thursday night. More XFL players will likely test positive, as the unidentified player had played their last two matchups against the Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis BattleHawks.
“The league is alerting players, staff, vendors, and partners associated with the Dragons, Roughnecks, and BattleHawks,” the XFL said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.
According to The Athletic, the Dragons did not test the rest of their team for the virus and did not have the team self-quarantine. Players were free to leave Seattle on Friday evening.
It is incredibly stupid and irresponsible for the XFL to not test the rest of the Dragons roster for the virus. If one player has it, there is a decent chance that another player may have it too. After the Utah Jazz found out they had a player with coronavirus, they tested their whole team and found out another player had it as well.
The Roughnecks and BattleHawks should also test their players for coronavirus after playing the Dragons over the last two weeks. If these players don’t get tested, they may have it without knowing and increase the spread of the virus.
Seattle has been a coronavirus hotspot to this point, as according to The Athletic, the state of Washington has reported over 570 cases.
While this is the first XFL player or team personnel to have tested positive for the virus, this is not the first instance of coronavirus in the XFL world.
According to Lewis Kamb of the Seattle Times, a concession vendor who worked the Seattle Dragons February 22 matchup tested positive for the coronavirus. The over 22,000 fans who attended the game could be at a risk for testing positive.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.
