72 NFL players test positive for COVID-19, players’ union says

(Reuters) – With training camps set to open in less than two weeks, 72 National Football League players had tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 10, according to the players’ association.

It was not immediately clear who the players were or which teams they play for.

The NFL plans to move forward with its regular season kickoff on Sept. 10, with several clubs anticipating reduced capacity – or no fans at all – at stadiums on game days to allow for social distancing, as the league finds a path forward amid the coronavirus outbreak.

With players set to report to training camps July 28, ESPN reported that the NFL and the players’ association (NFLPA) have been negotiating COVID-19 protocols, including how to classify a player’s potential positive coronavirus diagnosis.

The NFLPA on Thursday also included data on the concentration of coronavirus in each team’s market, finding that the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars’ metropolitan areas led in the 14-day average of daily cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people.

New cases of COVID-19 are surging in several U.S. states, with Florida on Thursday announcing 13,965 new cases and 156 deaths – its largest one-day increase in deaths from the novel coronavirus since the pandemic began.