The NFL just had one of its biggest coronavirus-related scares since the preseason started.
Namely, 77 COVID-19 tests came back positive on Saturday from a laboratory in New Jersey that the league is working with to test its players and staff on a regular basis. Thankfully, it was revealed that all of the test results were false-positives. All of the players and staff members that received a positive test were retested and deemed negative for the coronavirus.
According to the league, this was an isolated incident that occurred at BioReference Laboratories. As soon as the positive tests came in, the teams took all necessary precautions and none of the 77 individuals were at team activities the following day.
An investigation revealed that there was an isolated contamination that occurred during testing preparations at the laboratory, which is what caused the false-positive results.
A handful of teams were affected by the initial results and were forced to modify their activities. The Bears had nine false-positives, the Jets had 10, and the Browns, Packers, Vikings, and Bills all had several players test positive before it was confirmed that the tests were not accurate.
The New York Giants, who practices in New Jersey, had a couple of staffers that had false-positive results, but no players.
With the season approaching, the NFL can breathe a sigh of relief that these results were not accurate. The league has been doing well keeping COVID-19 infections down, with only three of nearly 3,000 players at camp currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
