Tag: test

Report: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required to enter Superdome

Report: New Orleans will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the Superdome, which is cleared for full capacity:

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The persistent COVID-19 pandemic has forced municipalities and governments across the country to adopt continued health and safety protocols, and now New Orleans is joining them. The Times-Picayune | Advocate reported Thursday that Mayor LaToya Cantrell plans to announce visitors to many indoors facilities — including restaurants, bars, and the Caesars Superdome — will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result before allowed entrance. Masks are also still expected to be required indoors.

However, Saints games will be allowed to host full-capacity crowds. That’s good news for one of the NFL’s most diehard fanbases, which was limited to a fraction of their number in the stands last season. But if fans want to attend, they’ll either need to get vaccinated or take precautions before buying tickets.

It’s part of a trend growing across the league; the Baltimore Ravens will require masks for guests visiting their M&T Bank Stadium, starting this weekend with the Saints flying in to kick off their preseason on Aug. 14. New Orleans’ first preseason home game is scheduled for Aug. 23, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while their regular season home opener is on Sept. 12 versus the Green Bay Packers.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates.

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Broncos, Saints’ next opponent, cancel Friday practice after 3 positive COVID-19 tests

Statement from the Broncos: pic.twitter.com/BFm0F4uXod – Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 27, 2020 The New Orleans Saints’ next opponent is managing a COVID-19 situation after a Denver Broncos player and two staff members tested positive for the …

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The New Orleans Saints’ next opponent is managing a COVID-19 situation after a Denver Broncos player and two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, the Broncos announced. The Broncos canceled their Friday practice session and closed the team training facility after placing backup quarterback Jeff Driskel on the COVID-19 reserve list on Thursday.

For now, the game at Denver is still scheduled for a 3:05 p.m. CT kickoff on Sunday, Nov. 29. Saints coach Sean Payton said earlier this week that the Saints will fly out on Saturday, as always using a privately chartered flight with COVID-19 precautions in place.

New Orleans has dealt with their own COVID-19 absences this season, including wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (who missed two games while recovering from an infection) and running back Dwayne Washington (who spent three weeks on the reserve list). So they’re familiar with all of these protocols and the risks at work.

Hopefully no further COVID-19 tests come up for the Broncos. The NFL is already managing an outbreak with the Baltimore Ravens, who shut down their team practice facility on Thursday and have reported a number of positive test results. The Ravens were scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday to cap the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day slate, but the game has been postponed until Sunday and could be pushed back further if more team members test positive.

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BetMGM removes betting line for Alabama-Georgia

Alabama vs. Georgia betting lines have been taken off the BetMGM site less than 24 hours after Nick Saban annunced a positive COVID-19 test.

Less than 24 hours after Alabama football head coach Nick Saban announced the positive diagnosis of COVID-19, BetMGM removes the betting line for the Crimson Tide’s Week 4 contest against the Georgia Bulldogs.

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The line was originally set with 6.5 points in Alabama’s favor; however, just before being removed, it dropped down to 4.

The removal of the line was not done with reason, leaving the public, and sports bettors, left to speculate if oddsmakers think the game will be played.

If Alabama vs. Georgia get canceled, it would be the third game to be taken off the SEC schedule for Week 4. The others being LSU vs. Florida and Vanderbilt vs. Missouri.

There’s no official word yet from either program regarding cancellation or postponement.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football as the Crimson Tide is set to face off against the Bulldogs this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Report: Chiefs, Raiders COVID-19 tests show no new positive cases on Thursday

A good sign that the Week 5 game between both teams will be played.

This is a good sign that the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders will play their Week 5 game scheduled for this Sunday.

According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the new czar of coronavirus test result reporting, the Chiefs and Raiders both turned up negative test results on Thursday morning. This is good news for both teams as they’d had potential exposures turn up recently.

Las Vegas, of course, put DT Maurice Hurst on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week. Ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 4 game, practice squad QB Jordan Ta’amu tested positive for the virus and was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Most recently, Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19 after facing Kansas City in Week 4. He was spotted in close contact with QB Patrick Mahomes on the field after the game.

The Chiefs and the Raiders aren’t out of the woods yet and they’ll still need negative results going into the weekend on Friday and Saturday. Those results will ensure this game gets played on Sunday. In the meantime, both teams will practice as scheduled on Thursday, under the enhanced measures mandated by the NFL after potential exposures.

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Update: Saints COVID-19 test was false positive, Lions kickoff is on

The New Orleans Saints confirmed a false positive test result for a COVID-19 infection before their Week 4 kickoff against the Detroit Lions

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The New Orleans Saints were sent in a minor panic late Saturday night upon learning that one of the players in their traveling party, fullback Michael Burton, had tested positive for COVID-19 before joining them on the team plane. Burton was immediately re-tested to check for a false positive, and the four players nearest to him in transit — including running back Alvin Kamara — were also given rapid point-of-care tests to see if any infections had spread.

But early Sunday morning The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell reported that Burton’s second test returned a negative result, which means he initially received a false positive. This was confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, who reported that each of the other four Saints players also returned negative results.

It’s the fourth false positive test the Saints have received this year, after Deonte Harris, Kaden Elliss, and Chase Hansen were sidelined for a few days in training camp while awaiting additional test results. There were concerns that false positive results could hurt a team during the season, and they nearly did; but that’s just part of trying to play football amid a public health crisis.

So now we’re looking to see how the Saints play when they play against the Lions at Ford Field. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT on Fox.

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Chiefs release statement after fan who attended opener tests positive for COVID-19

Positive tests are to be expected with fans at Arrowhead Stadium and the Chiefs have their first case after Week 1.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released a statement following the City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Department’s announcement that a fan who attended the Week 1 season opener against the Houston Texans has tested positive for COVID-19. That fan has since been asked to isolate. 10 people who had close contact with the individual have also been asked to isolate.

As of this morning, the Chiefs and Texans both had no positive tests among players and coaches, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Find the full statement from the team below:

“As the City of Kansas City Health Department has reported, a guest who attended Thursday night’s game at Arrowhead Stadium has presented positive for COVID-19. We have worked in close cooperation with Dr. Rex Archer and the Kansas City Health Department to provide all of the relevant information available.

The contact tracing mechanisms that the club has in place, including parking and ticket scanning data, as well as video record review, indicate that the individual who has presented positive and the individual’s party entered the stadium in compliance with mask mandates. This process allowed the team to identify the other guests sitting with this individual, the service staff with whom this individual may have come in contact with, as well as any other ticket holders near this person at the time of entry into the stadium. Within hours of being notified, the Chiefs were able to pinpoint the names of the other members of the party as well as detailed information about the path and location of entry, and this information was provided to the Health Department. The tracing capabilities at the stadium allow the extension of communication to learn more about the guest’s activity the days leading up to and after the game Thursday night.

The individual and the individual’s group were seated in the lower level of the stadium. By design, the stadium’s COVID protocol plan limited potential exposure to a single seating zone within the stadium. All staff with known interactions with the positive case were required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including a mask. Additionally, the protocols in place at the stadium require all attendees to be wearing masks inside the stadium.

Compliance with the protocols remains a key component to making this plan effective. We appreciate the professionalism and diligence of the Health Department and will continue to support its efforts in this matter and throughout the season.”

From a statistical standpoint, positive tests were always going to happen with fans at Arrowhead Stadium. The trick is having the mechanisms in place to minimize the spread of the virus and the Chiefs appear to have that with their prompt action and coordination with the health department.

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Seahawks receiver Phillip Dorsett II to return to practice Wednesday

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, who was inactive Week 1 with a foot injury, is set to return to practice Wednesday.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II is set to return to practice on Wednesday. Dorsett has been battling a sore foot and was inactive Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Coach Pete Carroll provided an update on Dorsett and a couple of other players during his Wednesday press conference before practice.

“We are gonna get Phillip Dorsett back on the field today,” Carroll said. “We’ll see how he does getting ready for the weekend. So we are in pretty good shape.”

While Dorsett may be able to resume work, it’s looking like defensive end Rasheem Green (shoulder) and tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (pec) could be a few days at least.

“It’s gonna take all week to figure it out with him and see how he comes back,” Carroll said of Green. “He got some tests done today. So we won’t know.”

Ogbuehi is also in wait-and-see mode.

“Cedric is still going to be hampered a bit,” Carroll acknowledged. “We won’t know until the end of the week on Cedric.”

The official practice report is expected to be released later Wednesday afternoon.

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Saints owner Gayle Benson diagnosed with COVID-19

New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson was diagnosed with COVID-19, making her the latest member of the team to contract the coronavirus.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has again touched the New Orleans Saints, with team owner Gayle Benson testing positive for a coronavirus infection. News of Benson’s diagnosis was first reported by Amie Just and Ramon Antonio Vargas for the Times-Piacyune | New Orleans Advocate on Friday, who added that Benson is receiving medical care and recovering well. Nick Underhill reported for NewOrleans.Football that Benson has been working from home and was not hospitalized.

Earlier this year, Saints coach Sean Payton tested was diagnosed with COVID-19 and quarantined at home for several weeks while recovering. Three Saints players (linebacker Kaden Elliss, long snapper Zach Wood, and wide receiver Deonte Harris) have entered the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol during training camp but were cleared within days, which is believed to be due to false positive test results.

Benson inherited ownership of the Saints and New Orleans Pelicans in 2018 after her late husband, Tom Benson, died of pneumonia. She has since used her resources to upgrade team facilities, keep the Saints competitive in free agency despite often skirting close to the salary cap, and house nearly 180 team personnel and players in a “semi-bubble” at a nearby hotel during Saints training camp. Here’s hoping she pulls through.

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Zero positive coronavirus test results reported for Florida Gators football

The school released its latest coronavirus testing data with only one positive result reported for the month of August among all sports. 

Great news for University of Florida sports fans! On Tuesday, the school released its coronavirus testing data taken from student-athletes starting on May 26 and ending yesterday, with only one positive COVID-19 result reported for the month of August among all sports.

Even better news: the Gators football team reported no positive results this past month. Head coach Dan Mullen made mention of the team’s string of zero positives in a press conference via Zoom earlier in the day, suggesting that his team is set to play despite the ongoing pandemic.

Since May 26, 809 tests overall were administered to student-athletes with 35 of them testing positive for a 4.3 percent positivity rate, according to the data; in August, only one test came back positive out of 479 samples. The numbers for the football squad are even better, improving from 21 positives in 359 on campus since May to zero out of 197 tested in August. 

While it has yet to be seen if Florida and the rest of the Southeastern Conference will actually play ball this fall, these numbers are certainly encouraging. If the Gators can keep the virus at bay, at very least they will be set to win a war of attrition with other teams who may not be so fortunate in evading the dark cloud of the coronavirus over the course of the season.

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REPORT: Tua Tagovailoa gets updated Wonderlic score

Tua Tagovailoa didn’t score the 13 on the Wonderlic like it was previously reported, and his new score is a noticeable improvement.

It was reported earlier today that Tua had scored a 13 on the NFL’s Wonderlic test, the lowest of all quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

The Wonderlic test measures “cognitive ability and problem-solving aptitude” of players looking to enter the NFL.

Overtime the test’s scores have become increasingly looked over as not a good measure of a player’s football abilities. However, it still allows for fans and analysts to speculate what it means for the player’s future.

These scores, which made the rounds on Twitter, turned out to be inaccurate – or at least one of them was.

Laura Rutledge of ESPN tweeted a report that the previously reported score of a 13 was from a test he had taken in 2018, and that he actually scored a 19 on his most recent attempt.

Assuming all other scores are accurately reported, Tagovailoa’s would put him at second-to-last, right above Jalen Hurts. However, it should not be seen as a poor score, as the average on the test was a 20.

Roll Tide Wire’s report on his score has since been changed with the correction.

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