Bill Belichick’s leadership has impressed the New England Patriots players amid a COVID-19 outbreak. With the team putting four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Patriots may have been victims of bad luck or bad practices. Whatever the reason, the novel coronavirus is spreading through the locker room, with the last player testing positive on Saturday. But the Patriots coach has clearly acted with a level head to ensure his players and their families stay safe.
“You can tell that coach isn’t willing to sell out his whole team or put his whole team at risk just to get a win.” safety Adrian Phillips said Wednesday.
He added: “I think the main thing you want to see from your coach is that you’re not just a player. You’re a human being. You have family. You have feelings. … When you have a person who tests positive on the team, it doesn’t matter who it is. He just says: ‘OK we’re fitting to shut the whole thing down.’ That shows he cares about you as a person and not about just the wins and the losses.”
The Patriots and the NFL have been working to create the proper response for the team’s bout with the novel coronavirus, though it seems the solutions haven’t always been compliant with CDC recommendations. Though 20 players had been in close contact with Cam Newton, who tested positive for COVID-19 on a Friday, the team flied to Kansas City for a game on the following Monday. When more players tested positive, the NFL finally postponed the team’s Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos, which will be played in Week 6.
Even with the scheduling moving and New England shutting down its facility, Phillips said he was pleased with the Patriots’ transparency with the players. The NFL has passed on information to the Patriots, who immediately relay that information to the players. Whenever Phillips has questions, he gets answers.
“A lot of our information comes from the doctors themselves, our team doctor and then we might have someone come in and talk to us and give us more information with any questions that we might have,” Phillips said.
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