NEWSLETTER
It was eye-opening to see Matthew Stafford’s name on the reserve/COVID-19 list, if only because he was the highest-profile player to be put there so far.
But today, the Detroit Lions activated Stafford from the COVID list — doing so with some sass:
Statement from the Detroit Lions pic.twitter.com/3C9jVHGbQV
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 4, 2020
As a reminder, going on the reserve/COVID list does not mean a player tested positive for coronavirus. Players placed on the list have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are in quarantine after potential exposure. The whole concept of the list is to minimize spread among players in locker rooms, while also taking care of players who could have it by isolating them until clear. Remember, players cannot enter their respective team’s facilities until they test negative for the virus three times in a four-day period.
Ultimately, this is good news for Stafford, his family, and the Lions as a whole. Detroit is a sleeper in the eyes of some, but they’re going nowhere if anyone but Stafford is under center.
And yet, I can’t get past the Lions’ tone in the tweet. Mostly because I think they’re onto something, even if they didn’t explicitly write it.
A “false positive” in August isn’t a game-changer. Players are only now arriving to team facilities and games won’t be played until September. Player safety is of the utmost importance right now. But what happens if testing ahead of game day yields a false positive and keeps players off the field? And what if it is a key player? It would be a BIG deal if this happened to Stafford (or any quarterback) during the regular season. So … no wonder the Lions came in hard with a social media post.
With all of that said … being proactive is UNQUESTIONABLY a good thing. Especially for those who want football this season. It’s better to miss Stafford for a game than to have no games to play at all. But a franchise using social media and shedding light on possible issues with testing is something else.
