The National Football League is moving a game between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers, originally scheduled for Sunday, to either Monday or Tuesday after several Titans players and staff tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Titans announced Tuesday that three players and five staff members had tested positive following Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. Since then, an additional Titan player has tested positive for a total of nine cases within the organization.
At a news conference Wednesday, Titans Coach Mike Vrabel said some of the players who tested positive were displaying flu-like symptoms. Vrabel described the situation as unfortunate but expressed confidence the team will be able to handle it safely with the players’ best interests in mind.
This is the first NFL regular season game altered by the coronavirus pandemic. The league said it delayed the game to give the Titans more time to prepare, as well as test for any further cases.
Both the Titans and the Vikings suspended in-person team activities after the positive tests. Although no Vikings players or staff are reported to have tested positive, the team said in a statement they evacuated their facilities as a precaution.
The Vikings said they will work closely with the NFL and NFL Players Association “to monitor the situation, perform additional testing and determine when the facility can reopen.”
So far, no changes have been announced to the Vikings’ game against the Houston Texans, scheduled for Sunday in Houston.
