72 players tested positive in results published on July 10; Training camps set to begin next week with rookies already reporting for duty
Wednesday 22 July 2020 10:03, UK
The NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) has confirmed 59 players have tested positive for coronavirus as of July 22.
The latest results come in the week rookies are scheduled to report to their teams for training camp, with all other players due back from July 28.
NFL players will be tested daily for coronavirus for at least the first two weeks of training camp under the league's testing protocols.
Several high-profile players, including reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, have called for the league to address their health and safety concerns over returning amid the virus outbreak.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL chief medical officer, said more than one negative test is required before players initially enter the building to begin physical exams or any form of team activity, ahead of the league's scheduled start on September 10.
After two weeks of daily testing, if the positivity rate of those tests falls below five per cent among players and Tier I and Tier II individuals, as described in previously NFL protocols, testing would go to every other day. If the positivity rate doesn't fall below that threshold, daily testing would continue until it drops.
Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), both operating out of a "bubble" at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, reported that no new positive cases came out of their most recent round of testing.
MLS is midway through its 'MLS is Back Tournament,' while the NBA is set to resume its season July 30.
