(UPDATE) Steelers announce Vance McDonald has tested positive for Covid-19

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Until a week ago, it seemed like all was well for the Pittsburgh Steelers when it comes to their adherence to the Covid-19 protocols and, more importantly, the protection of everyone. But over the past eight days, Mike Tomlin and Keith Butler fail to wear their masks properly in a game, were fined for it and for a non-player staff member who tested positive.

Recently, the team announced that a player has tested positive for the first time since training camp began. This player has yet to be identified, but it will become evident when he is placed on the reserve / Covid-19 roster. Here’s a team statement from spokesperson Burt Lauten:

The Steelers were told this morning that a player has tested positive for COVID-19. The player was immediately quarantined and the organization continues to be in intensive NFL protocol. We have been in contact with the NFL and medical advisers to conduct the necessary contact tracing. The player will be placed on the team’s reserve / COVID-19 roster today.

The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff remains our top priority.

The next step is contact tracing. Any player who is considered to be a high-risk close contact of the infected player will be required to self-quarantine for a period of five days from their last close contact with the player, whether positive or not, and will be placed in reserve. / Covid-19 List for this time. If all tests remain negative, he can come back on the sixth day. According to the latest protocols, any player who tests positive and is confirmed to be positive must be quarantined for at least 10 days, regardless of the results of subsequent tests.

That means whoever tested positive will definitely not play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. We can only hope that there hasn’t been any high-risk close contact, as that will mean these players will miss physical training during this week.

Last week, the Steelers faced the Baltimore Ravens and cornerback Marlon Humphrey while testing positive for Covid-19, as revealed by the results of a daily play test the following morning. He is unknown, and possibly unknowable, if that relates to it. The Ravens placed a half-dozen additional players on the Reserve / Covid-19 roster with Humphrey, including Matt Judon and LJ Fort, as close high-risk contacts, but were able to be activated in time for the game. ‘yesterday.

It can be an identical situation, as test results often arrive 24 hours later, and the statement says they were told of the positive test in the morning. That means the player was probably in yesterday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, which means they’ll need to take some precautions this week like the Steelers did last week. The good news for Dallas, however, is that they are entering their week off.

While we will know the name of the player who has tested positive shortly, it should be noted that tight end Vance McDonald missed Friday’s practice due to illness. He played 24 shots, including special teams, in yesterday’s game. Humphrey also missed the practice due to illness shortly before testing positive.

UPDATE: According to Albert Breer, it was indeed McDonald’s who tested positive. He will miss Sunday’s game against the Bengals, and it is almost certain that Kevin Rader will be brought back to the 53-man roster as part of the Covid-19 replacement program. When McDonald’s is activated from the reserve list, Rader will not have to clear overrides. It also means that, like Humphrey, McDonald’s exhibited symptoms before he tested positive, so this is not an asymptomatic case.



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