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USA TODAY Sports
As the Ravens brace for a potential league punishment for the outbreak that forced the Week 12 game between the Ravens and Steelers to be postponed three times and triggered the postponement of two Week 13 games (Washington-Steelers Sunday to Monday and Cowboys-Ravens Thursday to Tuesday), team president Dick Cass issued a statement regarding the situation.
The full statement, which appears below, explains that the team had four different strains of COVID-19 at the facility. Three were arrested and one was not.
“As you now know, the Ravens have experienced a coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with several players, staff and families testing positive, quarantined and treated,” Cass said. “It has also resulted in unprecedented changes in schedules, training, travel, match dates and times, and new precautions not only for our organization, but also for the opponents.
“Our hearts go out to our infected players, our staff and their families. They are receiving treatment and being followed to provide them with the best possible care, and we hope for a full recovery for all.
“We want to thank our players. Their proactive efforts and determination in this difficult situation have been nothing short of extraordinary. We couldn’t be more proud of them.
“We also offer our deep gratitude to the NFL, Steelers, Cowboys and fans, for their support, understanding and flexibility during this time of unforeseen upheaval due to this coronavirus outbreak.
“At the Ravens, we have strived to preserve the sport we love. We have been and are dedicated to the health and safety of our team, players, staff and their families.
“From the start, we took the virus seriously, very seriously. The NFL, NFLPA and their medical experts have developed a protocol with the health and safety of each organization in mind. Throughout the season, the NFL has updated the protocol to reflect new knowledge about the coronavirus and its spread. We believe in the protocol and have done everything to adhere to it. We strive not only to “play like a crow”, but also to “conform like a crow”.
“Despite our best efforts, the protocol is only as effective as our weakest link. With a dangerous virus like this, everyone must adhere to protocol to avoid infecting many. We now know that not everyone in the Ravens followed protocol thoroughly.
“Based on information provided by the NFL, we learned that we have at least four unique strains of COVID-19 in our facility. Three of the four were arrested and not distributed within our organization. Unfortunately, the fourth was a highly contagious strain and has spread throughout our organization.
“We cannot undo what happened. But we can do our best to learn from what has happened and be vigilant that it does not happen again. As recent experience has shown us, this virus does not need a great openness to spread within an organization, and 99% compliance is not a passing score against it. virus.
“To our community, our neighbors, our fans and our families, we say: Please learn from what happened here. This virus is serious. Very serious. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s beat this virus together. Thank you.”
The Ravens had previously announced that an employee had been sanctioned in connection with the outbreak. The Ravens declined to name the employee, who multiple reports claim is strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders. Saunders was reportedly suspended for his offenses, which allegedly included failing to report symptoms and consistently wearing a mask or contact detection device.
The Ravens are surely hoping that their proactive approach to discipline Saunders will reduce the sentence. Others would say the Ravens should have been very careful to make sure everyone followed all relevant protocols – especially staff members like strength and conditioning coaches, who come in contact with so many. players and others.
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