According to a Sunday morning report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL and the NFLPA are investigating whether the Tennessee Titans, who now have had 18 members of their organization test positive for COVID-19 in the past week, violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
“This isn’t a failure of the protocols; it is a failure to follow the protocols,” a source reportedly told ESPN.
NFL and NFLPA officials are reportedly looking into whether protocols were violated on wearing the mandatory tracking devices, leading to gaps in tracking data used in contact tracing, and whether there were individuals that failed to timely report symptoms they or their family members were experiencing, among other things. As part of the investigation, the Titans have been asked to turn over multiple videotapes of team activities so they can get a better idea of the root of their recent outbreak.
If the joint instigation reveals that at least one member of the Titans didn’t properly report being around someone or others with the coronavirus, it would be considered a violation. The ESPN report also states that the Titans possibly weren’t meticulous enough about wearing facemasks around the team facility, despite the protocols in the league memos to do so.
Sunday morning reports state that the Titans could face disciplines in the form of fines and/or even the potential loss of a draft pick as a result of the NFL/NFLPA investigation.
Two more positive tests from the Titans on Sunday morning now means the organization has had 18 positive tests in the past week. After having their Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that was supposed to be played today, postponed for several weeks, their Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills is now jeopardy as well. With the Titans now having positive tests for six straight days, the soonest they now could reopen their training facility would be Wednesday, per reports.
