Report: Washington placed the fewest players on COVID list in NFL originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
No team in the NFL placed fewer players on the COVID/reserve list during the 2020 regular season than the Washington Football Team, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported Tuesday. Washington added just two players all season, much lower than the league average of 15 players per team.
Players were required by the NFL to be placed on the COVID/reserve list if they either tested positive for the coronavirus or came into close contact with someone else who did. The two players Washington added were tight end Logan Thomas and defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis. Thomas spent 10 days on the list during training camp before Ioannidis, who was already out for the season with a torn bicep, tested positive and joined the list for 12 days in November.
Head coach Ron Rivera credited the team’s training staff in October for helping keep the team “diligent” with its spread-prevention measures.
“Man, I hate talking about it because then you bring a bunch of bad luck. I’m glad we’re diligent. We’ve got to continue to be diligent,” Rivera said. “It speaks for what [Head Athletic Trainer] Ryan Vermillion is doing as our Infectious Control Officer in terms of trying to make sure everyone’s aware and everyone’s being careful and following the protocols.”
Washington had added incentive to adhere to coronavirus protocols with Rivera deemed a high-risk individual while undergoing cancer treatments for much of the season. Former quarterback Dwayne Haskins did receive a fine for breaking the NFL's COVID regulations in December but was never placed on the list after it was deemed he didn't come into contact with the virus.
Across the DMV, the Ravens were the team with the most players added to the COVID/reserve list at 42. Baltimore suffered an outbreak that saw three different strains of the coronavirus spread across its locker room. The NFL was forced to postpone two of its games, including a primetime Thanksgiving matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers that ultimately had to be played on a Wednesday.
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