Titans, Vikings Suspend In-Person Activities After Three Players Test Positive For COVID-19

The Titans and Vikings have suspended all in-person club activities after three Tennessee players and five personnel members returned positive COVID-19 test results, the NFL announced on Tuesday. 

Minnesota hosted the Titans in Week 3 and won 31–30 at U.S. Bank Stadium. As of Tuesday morning, the Vikings have not returned any positive COVID-19 tests but will shut down activities and the facility per NFL protocol, the team said in a statement. 

Both teams are working closely with the league, the NFLPA and infectious disease experts to "evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments." Further decisions will be made with health and safety as the "primary" consideration. 

On Tuesday evening, the Titans placed DT DaQuan Jones, long snapper Beau Brinkley and TE Tommy Hudson on the COVID-19/reserve list.

According to SI's Albert Breer, the Titans' facility will undergo a deep cleaning after those who were in the building were told to go home around 5:15 a.m. There are no set criteria for re-opening the facility, but the NFL and Titans will allow infectious disease experts to guide the decision on a day-to-day basis. Meanwhile, the Vikings' staff was told their facility will be closed for at least 24 hours but to expect closer to 48, per Breer.

All close contacts have been isolated and will receive additional testing, commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter distributed to all teams. The league is working to determine where and how the close contacts occurred. 

Tennessee is next scheduled to host the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. The NFL intends to hold the game as scheduled, but the league can move the contest to Monday night if additional testing and contact tracing is needed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. 

Pittsburgh has been told to proceed with game preparations until informed otherwise, the team stated. 

The eight total COVID-19 cases, which came after Sunday's game, are confirmed positive cases by the NFL, which means this is the first outbreak within a team this season and it rules out the possibility of false positives. Individual cases have been handled by being placed on the league's COVID-19 list.

Titans outside linebacker coach Shane Bowen tested positive late last week, but his case is not one of the eight positives that came up on Tuesday, per Breer. All five personnel members were part of Tennessee's travel party and at least "some" were coaches. 

Under the NFL's agreement with the NFLPA, all players and essential employees are tested daily during the regular season outside game day. Preseason contests were canceled this year, but all regular-season games through the first three weeks have been held as-scheduled. 

The Titans and Vikings are both scheduled to play on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. for their Week 4 matchups against the Steelers and Texans, respectively. The NFL said it will share updates as more information becomes available.