Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and at least one other staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to reports from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter and ESPN Eagles beat reporter Tim McManus. Pederson convened a team meeting on Sunday night to share the news with players. According to McManus, Pederson has received two separate positive tests.
It is not known at this time who the other staff member is.
Just last week, Pederson said that he feels extremely safe at the NovaCare Complex just ahead of the start of training camp and team activities:
“I feel extremely safe. Obviously, coming into it, there might have been some skepticism about the testing and the screening that goes on. But this is very thorough. When you’re here [at the NovaCare Complex], you get tested in the morning, you’ve got a screening process you have to go through to get into the building, wearing masks in the building everywhere we go, I feel extremely safe. This is our bubble, right here in NovaCare.”
In his report, McManus adds that “Pederson, who is believed to have contracted COVID-19 outside of the team’s training facility, needs to quarantine and have multiple negative tests before returning to work.”
NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero reports that Pederson is asymptomatic and that most meetings are virtual right now, limiting the potential disruption for veterans as they report and begin team activities.
Shortly after the report came out, the team released the following statement on Twitter:
We will likely learn in the coming days if any players or additional staff members also test positive for the coronavirus, and the team is already working on contingency plans. Jeff McLane reports that Doug Pederson will continue to lead the team virtually, while assistant head coach Duce Staley will assume head coaching responsibilities at the NovaCare Complex.
