Report: Former Ohio State Star Ezekiel Elliott Tests Positive for CoVID-19

Elliott is one of several players on Cowboys, Texans to test positive

Former Ohio State star running back Ezekiel Elliott is among several players on the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans rosters who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first person to report this story. Elliott's agent Rocky Arceneaux confirmed to Rapoport that Elliott tested positive, and he said that Elliott is feeling well.

The Dallas Cowboys issued a statement saying, "due to federal and local privacy laws, we are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of any of our employees."

Rapoport also said that none of the players that have tested positive for the virus are believed to have been in their team facilities and that the teams are following proper health protocols.

Sources told ESPN that one player was experiencing flu-like symptoms but is fine now, while other players who tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic.

A month ago, NFL cheif medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said, "We fully expect that we will have positive cases that arise. ... Our challenge is to identify them as quickly as possible and prevent spread to any other participants."

There has been a spike in positive cases reported in Texas recently. Dallas County reported 302 more coronavirus cases Sunday, the fifth consecutive day with more than 300 new cases.

According to a report in the Dallas Morning News, Elliott has spent at least part of the offseason working out in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with quarterback Dak Prescott, former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and other NFL players. Several videos of these workouts, posted to social media in early April, drew criticism for a lack of social distancing and violating the letter of Dallas County’s shelter-in-place orders at the time.

Under Governor Greg Abbott, the state has aggressively reopened and seen a surge of coronavirus cases. Abbott has said that sports stadiums can operate at 50% capacity, but Texas just hit its record high for coronavirus hospitalizations on Sunday. The state reported 2,287 patients in hospital beds.

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