The head coach of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers tested positive for Covid-19, he revealed in the latest season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
“I can’t promise you you’re not going to get infected,” Anthony Lynn told his players at the top of the program. “I got infected.”
The revelation was met with looks of surprise from the players.
HBO debuted the new season Tuesday, including behind-the-scenes looks at how the Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams are handling coronavirus protocols with players and staff.
As the pandemic has spread to infect more than 5 million Americans, college and professional sports have been wrestling with how to start new seasons.
More than 60 players have withdrawn from the 2020 NFL season due to the virus. The most affected team is the New England Patriots, which lost eight players.
Players who opted out voluntarily, like Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, will receive a $150,000 salary advance and their contract will toll to the next year. They will not earn a credited or accrued season but will retain health insurance.
College football has been affected as well.
Standout University of Miami Hurricanes’ defensive end Greg Rousseau announced last week he was opting out of the 2020 season and heading into the 2021 draft.
“This was a very difficult decision for me as I love playing football at the University of Miami. However, in light of the uncertainty surrounding this pandemic, my family and I have decided this course of action is what’s best for our well being,” Rousseau said in a tweet. “My mother is a nurse on the front lines and has first hand witnessed the horrors of this terrible pandemic and I want to ease their concerns.”
Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore has opted out as well.
“Given the unprecedented circumstances we are currently living in, the best choice for my family and I is to opt out of the upcoming season and prepare for the upcoming season and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft,” Moore said in a statement.
