Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald has tested positive for COVID-19, the first player from the NFL’s last unbeaten team to be diagnosed with the novel coronavirus since the start of the regular season.
Team spokesman Burt Lauten says the club was notified of the positive test on Monday morning, hours after the Steelers improved to 8-0 with a 24-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. McDonald immediately self-quarantined and the Steelers remain in the NFL’s intensive protocol.
McDonald missed Friday’s practice with an "illness" according to the team’s injury report, but travelled to Dallas with the team and played 24 snaps total against the Cowboys, 20 on offence and four on special teams.
The Steelers have notified the league and have been in contact with medical advisors to begin contact tracing. Pittsburgh announced last week that an unidentified staff had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The team had been COVID-19 free during the first half of the season but have still been dealing with the virus. Their game at Tennessee originally scheduled for Oct. 4 was pushed to Oct. 25 due to an outbreak among the Titans. Hours after winning in Baltimore on Nov. 1, Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey tested positive, forcing the team to spend last week in the league’s intensive protocol program.
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