Giants Announce Another Player Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

The player has been denied as kicker Graham Gano who, along with two staff members identified as close contacts, has been isolated.

The Giants announced that they have had another player test positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The player in question is kicker Graham Gano, sources confirm. (The New York Post was first with the report.)

Gano will be placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list later today, but with the Giants on their bye, it's believed that Gano should be ready to go when the Giants return from the bye to face the Bengals on November 29, depending on how the virus runs its course within him.

Two additional staff members were identified as having had close contact with Gano and were told to stay home Tuesday per the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. 

The Quest Diagnostics Training Center, the Giants' East Rutherford headquarters, remains open for business, but head coach Joe Judge, originally planning on having the players in for on-field work Tuesday and Wednesday, will now conduct team meetings virtually.

Per NFL protocol, the players and coaches must remain in the area as they will continue to be tested throughout the bye week. Judge told reporters Monday that some players might be planning to have family members from out of town come in for a visit during the bye.

“We want to make sure they’re smart about the number of people we expose ourselves to. We want to make sure that on the frontend, we make sure that we test and that we make sure we’re putting ourselves in the safest environment possible,” Judge said.

“At the same time, we’re realists. We want to make sure that if something does happen, we’re treating it the best way possible and that we’re doing it in the safest way possible. “

This is the second time a Giants player has tested positive for COVID-19. Starting left guard Will Hernandez missed two games earlier this month when he tested positive. 

He returned from the reserve COVID-19 list last week after almost two weeks and received some snaps in the Giants win over the Eagles Sunday.

The Giants have kicker Ryan Santoso on their practice squad in the event Gano is unable to kick when the team returns from its bye.