The Browns are scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs this weekend. This is the first time that the Browns have made it to the playoffs since 2002, ending the longest current playoff drought of any team in the NFL.
However, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and four other members of the organization have tested positive for COVID-19.
The four other people who tested positive are left guard Joel Bitonio, wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, and two other coaches.
According to Cleveland, special team coordinator Mike Priefer will be serving as head coach for the playoff game against the Steelers, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will be calling the plays instead of Stefanski.
The Steelers have two players who are on the COVID-19 list as well and will not be participating in the playoff game. These two players are cornerback Joe Haden and tight end Eric Ebron.
The Browns have been struggling with positive cases for the last several weeks. Last week, the team was forced to close down its facility two times after members of the organization tested positive. They ended up playing against the New York Jets in Week 16 with most of their starting wide receivers and several other starters sitting out.
In his first year as the team’s head coach, Stefanski led the struggling Browns franchise to an 11-5 record.
