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3 Titans players and 5 staff members test positive for COVID-19

3 Titans players and 5 staff members test positive for COVID-19
Posted at 9:52 AM, Sep 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-29 14:28:05-04

Three players for the Tennessee Titans and five other employees for the team have presumptively tested positive for COVID-19, according to the NFL.

According to a statement from the NFL, the Titans are suspending in-person team activities beginning Tuesday morning. Scripps station WTVF in Nashville reports that the team facility will be closed until Saturday.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the organization has decided to work remotely today as we follow NFL protocols related to the Covid-19 virus," the team said in a statement. "Several tests have come back positive and are working through the process of confirming them. We will have more information tomorrow."

The Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans in Minneapolis on Sunday, are also suspending team activities Tuesday out of an abundance of caution. In an official statement, the Vikings said that none of their players or personnel members have tested positive for the virus since Sunday's game.

The Titans are currently scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, while the Vikings are scheduled to travel to Houston to play the Texans.

With the Titans unable to practice until Saturday, Sunday's game is seemingly in doubt. In a statement, the Steelers said that they are "proceeding with game preparations for Sunday's game until we are informed otherwise."

The Titans are currently slated to host fans at Nissan Stadium for this first time this season on Sunday. The team was planning on hosting Sunday's game at 10% capacity — fewer than 7,000 of the stadium's 69,143 maximum capacity.

The Titans' outbreak marks the biggest COVID-19 scare the league has experienced to date. Between Aug. 21 and Sept. 19, the league conducted 180,274 COVID-19 tests among players and team personnel. Just 30 of those tests have come back positive.

Atlanta Falcons CB A.J. Terrell tested positive for the virus on Saturday and became the first player to miss a game because of the virus on Sunday. There have been no other reports of positive tests among Falcons players or team personnel since Saturday.