Tag: cam newton coronavirus

Cam Newton: Spreading COVID-19 to teammate ‘my worst nightmare’

Cam Newton was distressed when his teammate Stephen Gilmore also tested positive for COVID-19.

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(This was originally published by USA TODAY Sports Network.)

Cam Newton’s first thought was that the result was wrong.

When the quarterback found out that he tested positive for COVID-19, he hoped for a false positive. The 31-year-old didn’t have any symptoms and said on Monday, during his interview on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show,” that he had no idea how he contracted the virus.

The situation for Newton and the Patriots turned into a nightmare. He thought about how much time he spent in Gillette Stadium with his teammates. Then, five days later, his stomach dropped when it was discovered that Stephon Gilmore, who was in close contact with Newton, also tested positive.

On Monday morning, Newton opened up about his COVID-19 result and the aftermath.

“I think the biggest scare here for everybody was just my, I guess, daily routine of how many hours I put in the facility,” said Newton. “And if I contracted it, if anybody would have had a red flag, I think it would have been me. Here’s a person who’s here as long as he is. Who was he around? Who did he touch? And I was more concerned about it, because I didn’t want to put nobody else on the team in jeopardy for this.

“The fact that Steph contracted it was my worst nightmare being that I would never want to sabotage anything to the slightest degree, because I know what we have the capability of becoming. And yet, through it all, we saw it and got a better understanding of it.”

After retuning to New England from Kansas City, Gilmore, Bill Murray and Byron Cowart all ended up on the COVID-19/Reserve list. Last week, James Ferentz, Sony Michel, Derek Rivers and Shaq Mason ended up on that reserve list.

Newton wouldn’t confirm or deny the ESPN report that he was spotted out to dinner with Gilmore before the quarterback tested positive.

Both Newton and Gilmore returned to play on Sunday. The quarterback said it was nice to be back after being shocked that he tested positive and couldn’t play in Kansas City.

“Here I am, I get prepared for something, and then I find out the day before (the Chiefs game) that I’m not going to go,” Newton said. “I was thinking as optimistic as could be. I was like, ‘Man, it’s a false positive.’ Then it ended up being true.

“You go through it, games get rescheduled and you just sit to wonder. You can’t do anything. You can’t work out. And obviously, me being who I am, it’s not like you could just take this time to go vacation somewhere. So, through it all, it has been weird. It has been an adjustment to your routine. But yet, people don’t pay attention to all of that stuff. They just want production, and so do I.”

Leading up to their loss against Denver, the Patriots had one full practice before scoring just 12 points against the Broncos. Newton said he’s only looking up.

“The sky may be falling for the next couple of days,” Newton said. “Listen, I’ll bring my umbrella, my raincoat and everything else that I need to get the job done. I know we will get the job done (and) here moving forward we’ll have more production in a positive way.”

Here’s Cam Newton reflecting in July about his COVID-19 anxieties

The Auburn legend and current Patriots quarterback was worried about COVID-19 back in July.

(This post was originally published on Patriots Wire.)

Cam Newton has been mum about COVID-19 since testing positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday. He has posted two brief messages on social media, but that hardly covers the complicated situation he’s surely managing, even if he’s still asymptomatic.

In a video called “The Bigger Picture” on YouTube that has resurfaced from July, Newton discussed the spread of the disease.

“We want to live this normal life again, but it’s invisible. You don’t know if it’s here. You don’t know if I’ve got it. You don’t know if you’ve got it. You don’t know if the cameraman got it. And I think that’s the scariest thing. And for us, our sport — you pass DNA off. … Our sport dabbles in more DNA spread than probably — I think another sport would probably be boxing and UFC.”

By “DNA,” Newton probably means bacteria, which — as we’ve been seeing with an outbreak in the Tennessee Titans facility — can indeed flow freely within a football team.

This video felt like interesting context while Newton continues to deal with COVID-19.

Report: Patriots QB Cam Newton is asymptomatic for COVID-19

The former Auburn star tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and missed the Patriots game against Kansas City on Monday night.

(This post was originally published on Patriots Wire.)

The burning question for New England Patriots fans is whether or not Cam Newton will be ready for Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.

Newton was the only Patriot to contract the coronavirus in Week 4 and he was originally reported to be asymptomatic. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, that’s still the case as of Monday morning.

First and foremost, Newton’s health and the health of those around him is the most important factor in this. Making sure he’s isolated from anyone who could contract the virus, while making sure he’s taking care of himself is top priority.

Reiss explained the protocol for him to get back on the field.

That means Newton could be cleared to return in five days since his first positive test if he continues not to exhibit any symptoms, has two negative tests 24 hours apart within those five days, and is cleared by the team doctor.

With this being the case, it’s possible that Newton could return to practice as soon as Thursday. New England plays Denver on Thursday and his presence would be ideal for the team.

Time will tell if he’ll suit up, but Jarrett Stidham will likely take over the starting role if Newton isn’t good to go.

Report: Cam Newton tests positive for COVID-19, to miss Sunday’s game

The former Auburn star will miss Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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The New England Patriots will have to play the best team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, without their starting quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday.

The former Auburn star has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Late last night, we received notice that a Patriots players tested positive for COVID-19. The player immediately entered self-quarantine,” the Patriots said in a statement Saturday. “Several additional players, coaches and staff who have been in close contact with the player received point of care tests this morning and all were negative for COVID-19.”