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Seahawks WR John Ursua Hopeful for Brief Stay on COVID-19/Reserve List

After testing positive on a recent test, Ursua followed up quickly with a negative test, suggesting his initial test may have been a "false" positive. With another negative test in the next few days, he should be allowed to return quickly.
Corbin K. Smith|
Seahawks WR John Ursua Hopeful for Brief Stay on COVID-19/Reserve List
Seahawks WR John Ursua Hopeful for Brief Stay on COVID-19/Reserve List

After 12 days without any positive tests to kick off a training camp unlike any other, the Seahawks designated their first player for the COVID-19/reserve list on Sunday, deactivating John Ursua from the 80-man roster.

Speaking with Rob DeMellos of KHON2 on Monday, the second-year receiver out of Hawaii indicated he was stunned to learn he had tested positive on Saturday night. At the time, he thought he would be quarantined for at least 12 to 14 days per NFL protocol.

“It’s been a crazy experience," Ursua said. "Kind of a roller coaster if you may, where I get the news late [Saturday] night that I tested positive."

One day after testing positive, an asymptomatic Ursua underwent another test and this time, it came back negative. Just as Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and other players around the league have experienced recently, he's hopeful his positive test was a false one and his next test will come back negative again to allow him to return to the Seahawks soon.

“I was extremely shocked," Ursua said testing positive. "Just because we’ve been living a pretty isolated life right now. We’re not exactly like the bubble, but we kind of treat everything as if it is. Our food is delivered to us, we only get to go to the facility and come back to the hotel. We do all of our meetings here at the hotel. They try to keep us out of restaurants, out of closed off areas, so they’re doing a great job."

"When I got the news I was like, man, I was the first one on the Seahawks to get it and the only one so far, but I guess I’ve been hearing about how there’s a lot of false positives out there so I was just crossing my fingers hoping that everything would be okay.”

As a rookie, Ursua appeared in three regular season games, with his only catch coming in the fourth quarter against San Francisco in a Week 17 matchup at CenturyLink Field. He's expected to once again compete for reps as a slot receiver and will battle against David Moore and incoming rookie Freddie Swain for a roster spot.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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