Kansas City Chiefs Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19
A member of the Kansas City Chiefs staff has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released by the team. The Chiefs continue to prepare for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.
The team's full statement is as follows:
The club was notified this morning that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual is self-quarantining, under the team's medical care, and contact tracing is taking place. The team is now in the NFL's Intensive Protocol and working closely with the league and medical experts.
The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff members remains our number one priority.
The Chiefs will hold practice this morning and then out of precaution, the facilities will be closed this afternoon and meetings will be held virtually.
We'll continue to monitor the situation and take any appropriate action necessary to protect the team and those around us.
The team will continue its preparation to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Chiefs have had their COVID-19 protocols tested already this season, with positive tests from former practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta'amu and an unnamed strength coach. Fullback Anthony Sherman never reportedly tested positive for the virus, but was on the team's COVID-19/reserve list due to close contact with someone who did.
Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder broke down the Chiefs' contract tracing policy, and other parts of the team's COVID-19 protocol before training camp began in July.
“That contact-tracer lets you know who you are around,” Burkholder said. “Now tomorrow, if we got a positive test, they would know that I spent five minutes with [Vice President of Communications] Ted Crews, or four minutes within six feet of [Director of Football Communications] Brad Gee. They would go back and trace that and then we would put our protocol in place based on the tracing. The tracing is a huge deal.”
Following the NFL's biggest COVID-based scare so far in 2020, the outbreak in the Tennessee Titans' organization, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes discussed how he feels about how the Chiefs have managed the virus so far.
“I feel like Rick [Burkholder] and his staff and the whole organization have done a great job of keeping us socially distant, making us wear masks — even when people try to slip and not wear them — making sure that they’re wearing masks and we hold each other accountable,” Mahomes said.
UPDATE: According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Burkholder was the staff member that tested positive for COVID-19.
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