Gillan’s case could be an exception to the general rules here
Browns punter Jamie Gillan joined RB Dontrell Hilliard and safety Jovante Moffatt on the NFL reserve/COVID-19 list this week. It’s an indication that the players either tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who is confirmed to have the coronavirus infection.
What happens next for those players and the Browns as training camp fires up?
Per the NFL’s information on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list, there are three different scenarios. They depend on if the player tested positive or negative and if he is symptomatic or asymptomatic.
For positive tests…
Asymptomatic players cannot return until:
- 10 days after the initial positive test OR
- 5 days have passed since the initial positive test and two consecutive negative tests are completed separated by 24 hours within a five-day period
- Return must be approved by the team’s physician and the league’s Infection Control Specialist, or ICS
Symptomatic players can’t return until:
- 10 days have passed since the first COVID-19 symptoms appeared
- At least 72 hours have passed since the symptoms last occurred
- Return is approved by the team’s physician after consulting with ICS and NFL’s chief medical officer
- Local regulations and requirements are satisfied
For players who test negative and are asymptomatic but have been in close contact with an infected person, the rules change.
- Second negative test within 24 hours of initial negative test
- Increased symptom monitoring
- Eight days of daily virus testing
- Regular testing schedule thereafter
Gillan’s case is unusual because he had a positive test and some mild symptoms in early July and then also tested negative with his initial screening on Tuesday. His positive test on Wednesday sends him into the protocols for positive testing, but how the league handles his prior symptoms and lack of them now remains to be seen. I reached out to the NFL for clarification and have not gotten a response.
Portions of this article previously appeared in another I wrote for Lions Wire
