As teams open facilities, NFL prepared, expected, to see positive test results

When the news broke Monday morning that two members of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans had tested positive for covid-19, some people acted surprised.

They shouldn’t have been. There will be more positive tests, just as there will be at the college level as athletes begin returning to campus.

“We fully expect we will have positive cases that will arise,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, back in May.

A month ago, NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said: “We fully expect that we will have positive cases that arise. … Our challenge is to identify them as quickly as possible and prevent spread to any other participants.” The teams appear to have done that. https://t.co/T18b96Nhtw

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said last month positive results were expected in Fayetteville. They’ve had that.

Now Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys has tested positive, but is “feeling fine,” according to his agent. We won’t get more information from players unless they release the information. Privacy laws and stuff.

#Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott is one of the players who has tested positive for the Coronavirus, his agent Rocky Arceneaux confirmed to me. Arceneaux said Elliott is feeling good.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020

The virus has started to show increased numbers of positive cases with increased testing capacity although the mortality rate remains very low.