Ouch! 75 NFL Players Test Positive For COVID In 2-Day Period

The NFL has a COVID crisis on its hands, as an increasing number of players are testing positive.

What Happened: ESPN writer Adam Schefter offered an update on the situation Tuesday night, tweeting, “NFL now has had 75 player positives for COVID the past two days, per source.”

Among the teams with the greatest number of players on the reserve/COVID list are the Cleveland Browns with eight players (including quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Jarvis Landry) plus head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Los Angeles Rams with 11 players (including wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.) and the Washington Football Team with 10 players (including defensive lineman Jonathan Allen).

The NFL reported the Washington Football Team has the league’s first confirmed case of the omicron variant, which affected a Tier 3 staffer – the infected individual is not part of the football operations and not in contact with the players.

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What Happens Next: It is uncertain if the individuals who tested positive were vaccinated. The NFL sent a memo to its teams requiring all players, coaches and other Tier 1 and Tier 2 personnel to receive a COVID-19 booster by Dec. 27.

“Given the increased prevalence of the virus in our communities, our experts have recommended that we implement the CDC’s recommendation,” said the memo.

The NFL has not announced plans to postpone or reschedule any of its games. The league announced in a statement that "postponements will only occur if required by government authorities, medical experts, or at the Commissioner’s discretion."

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Photo: Oct. 10 game between the New Orleans Saints and Washington Football Team, via All-Pro Reels / Wikimedia Commons