The NBA’s bubble was wildly successful in preventing its players from contracting COVID-19 during the 2019-2020 season, and MLB’s geo-adjusted schedules seemed to help dull the spread (well, outside of two outbreaks in St. Louis and Miami). But pairing a contact-heavy sport like football with nation-wide travel at a time when COVID cases are spiking all over the country (in many cases worse than the first or second wave) has not been kind to the NFL. And Ben Roethlisberger is the latest big-name player to get sidelined because of the virus. Though you should note that he has NOT tested positive yet.
For now, this is out of an abundance of caution:
The Steelers have placed Ben Roethlisberger on the COVID-19 list.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 10, 2020
Roethlisberger was deemed a “high-risk close contact” with TE Vance McDonald, who has tested positive. And he’s not the only Steeler on the list:
Steelers placed QB Ben Roethlisberger, OL Jerald Hawkins, RB Jaylen Samuels, and LB Vince Williams on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2020
And he’s not the only QB from the AFC North:
And so two of the four AFC North starting QBs, Ben Roethlisberger and Baker Mayfield, now are on Reserve/COVID. https://t.co/hWXeMmbijI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2020
With that said, all four Steelers are eligible to come off the list on Saturday to play against the Bengals on Sunday, provided they show no symptoms and test negative. Of course, even if Ben Roethlisberger does test negative and is eligible to return, he has other issues that could keep him off the field:
#Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger sustained injuries to both knees on Sunday, but after tests today, there is cautious optimism that he’ll be healthy enough to play vs the #Bengals. While both knees got trapped, his feet not being stuck in the turf saved him from major injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2020
The Bears will not play the Steelers this season.
