The NFL’s Tennessee Titans had three players and five other members of the organization test positive for COVID-19, according to the NFL Network, prompting the team and its last opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, to suspend in-person club activities.
Those who tested positive will quarantine, per NFL health guidelines. Testing will also be conducted for those who may have been in close contact with the eight people who tested positive.
“Out of the abundance of caution, the organization has decided to work remotely today as we follow NFL protocols related to the COVID-19 virus,” the Titans said in a Tuesday statement. “Several tests have come back positive and are working through the process of confirming them. We will have more information tomorrow.”
The team or league has not indicated which players or personnel have tested positive.
The news comes as the NFL has enjoyed no stoppages of practices or games after completing its third week of the regular season.
Other sports leagues have successfully carried out their seasons and postseasons, with the NHL completing its playoffs in two “bubble cities” in Toronto and Edmonton, and no positive cases since the league resumed play in late July. The Tampa Bay Lightning topped the Dallas Stars for the Stanley Cup Championship on Monday night.
The NBA has also avoided any coronavirus-related work stoppages while playing in a bubble on the Walt Disney World sports campus in Orlando, Fla. The NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers is set to begin Wednesday night.
Major League Baseball, which has played games in home stadiums around the country since the league resumed play on July 23, dealt with two outbreaks early on with the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. The outbreaks led both teams to postpone several games, but the league has since seen few cases and game postponements.