TAMPA, Fla. _ Less than 48 hours after it was reported that a Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach tested positive for the coronavirus, two players have now also become infected, according to ESPN.
It is unclear whether those two players were among the few who had been allowed inside the team facility _ only players rehabbing injuries or getting treatment were back into the building _ but a statement released by the team confirmed multiple individuals who tested positive.
"We can confirm that there have been individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the AdventHealth Training Center," the statement said. "We immediately activated our COVID-19 Response Plan and vacated the affected areas, which will remain closed until extensive sanitization is completed. The individuals who may have been exposed have already been notified and are following the established protocols, which include a 14-day quarantine period."
The Bucs also said that AdventHealth Training Center will remain open for Phase 1 employees, and citing privacy laws, the names of those who tested positive will not be released.
Given the fact that the Bucs expect to begin training camp at the facility in a month and plan for a rookie and quarterbacks camp there starting July 15 _ along with the tremendous spike in positive tests in the Tampa Bay area and throughout Florida _ there is reason for concern.
"I'm worried because of my kids," Bucs outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett said earlier this week. "I don't want them to catch anything. But I figure that they're going to do it the safest way possible if they do have us back and they do start the season on time. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the safest way possible. I'm not really worried about it too much."
Coach Bruce Arians and his staff returned to the team facility for the first time Monday. They underwent thermal screenings each time they entered the building and had to wear facemasks at all times unless they were in their offices with the door closed. Coaches meetings were moved to the team auditorium to allow for social distancing.
On Thursday night, ESPN first reported that a Bucs assistant coach tested positive for the virus and two other coaches were quarantined. The coach who tested positive was asymptomatic.
The team facility re-opened to employees for the first time on June 10, with most of those returning working on the business side. The AdventHealth Training Center opened with several health protocols in place, including one-way hallways and stairwells, and occupancy limits in meeting rooms.
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and leading member of the White House task force on COVID-19, told CNN he didn't see football happening this year unless players were in a bubble scenario like the NBA and were tested every day, citing another expected wave of cases in the fall.
"I do see what Dr. Fauci said, that's what basketball is doing, that may be the only way to do it without putting everybody at risk," Barrett said. "But it would be a lot. It would be hard because we're all in certain states. There's so many more people than a basketball team. We've all got to figure out the logistics. Whatever it is, if there's a will there's a way. And there's a will, so they're going to try to make football be played on time. I'm down for it, I'm ready for it, as long as it's safe because I don't want to put my family at risk."
With players not allowed to train in the facility, the Bucs conducted their offseason training activities virtually, but players still worked out together on their own, including new quarterback Tom Brady, who held twice-a-week sessions at Berkeley Prep to get in tune with a new set of players on offense. Those workouts weren't subject to any league health or safety protocols.
Saturday's news comes after nearly every part of the Tampa Bay sports world has been affected by positive coronavirus tests.
With the Lightning preparing for a return to play in hub cities, activities at Amalie Arena were shut down after three players and additional staff members tested positive. Eight people with the Philadelphia Phillies, five players and three staffers, and one Blue Jays player tested positive, prompting the shutdown of their team's spring training facilities in Clearwater and Dunedin, and a leaguewide closing of the spring sites for deep cleaning. Two USF football players also tested positive.
The state announced a record 4,049 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including 965 in Tampa Bay. The 285 new cases in Pinellas County is a record.
