The week is not off to a great start for the Cleveland Browns as they prepare to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Super Wild Card game on Sunday at Heinz Field as the team announced Tuesday morning that their facility is now closed until further notice because of positive COVID-19 tests. These positive tests include head coach Kevin Stefanski and it means he will not be able to coach on Sunday against the Steelers.
Stefanski, who the team reports as testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, will now be required to go into quarantine and thus miss the Browns’ playoff game on Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Browns special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will serve as the acting head coach. Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will likely take over play calling from Stefanski.
The Browns also announced on Tuesday that two other assistant coaches and two players have also tested positive for COVID-19, but they did not reveal the names of those individuals. We will surely find out who the players are by the end of Tuesday. According to reports, the other Browns coaches that tested positive are tight ends coach Drew Petzing and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard.
The Browns team facility is closed today. The Browns-Steelers game is still on as scheduled, per reports.
We were informed this morning that Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, two additional members of the coaching staff and two players have tested positive for COVID-19.
Our contingency planning calls for Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer to serve as the acting Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/Mhh9Zt1e4d
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 5, 2021
The NFL's medical experts believe last week's #Browns COVID cases were all from community spread, not a facility outbreak. Genomic sequencing showed three different strains of virus, I'm told. No positive tests Sunday or Monday. But now, 5 positives today and facility is closed.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 5, 2021
UPDATE (12:17 PM): The two players who have tested positive reportedly are OG Joel Bitonio and WR KhaDarel Hodge. Bitonio has served as the team’s starting left guard all season. Hodge caught 11 passes in the regular season.
#Browns LG Joel Bitonio and WR KhaDarel Hodge tested positive for COVID-19, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 5, 2021
