Chiefs staff member tests positive for COVID. Team closes facility Thursday afternoon
COVID-19 found its way to the Chiefs just days ahead of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs announced Thursday morning that a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-quarantining.
The Chiefs said the unnamed staff member is under the team’s medical care, contact tracing has commenced and the team is now in the NFL’s Intensive Protocol while closely coordinating with league medical experts.
“The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff members remains our No. 1 priority,” the Chiefs said in a statement.
While the Chiefs didn’t name the staff member, the NFL Network later identified the staff member as head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, who also serves as the team’s infectious control officer. Burkholder, who helped coordinate the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols during the offseason, is around the players on virtually a daily basis.
Despite Burkholder reportedly testing positive, the Chiefs held a morning practice before closing their training facility in the afternoon. Media availability for Thursday was also canceled. All meetings were to be conducted virtually while preparations for the Panthers continue.
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation and take any appropriate action necessary to protect the team and those around us,” the Chiefs said in the statement.
COVID-19 has posed challenges this fall and the NFL has been forced to reschedule numerous games through the first seven weeks of the regular season.
In the past week alone, the virus affected numerous teams:
- Denver reported positive tests for team president John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis
- The San Francisco 49ers placed four players on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers, who also placed two players on the reserve/COVID-19 list
- The Chicago Bears canceled practice Thursday after a player tested posted.
While no Week 8 games had been rescheduled as of noon Thursday, the Chiefs’ Week 4 game against New England was moved from a Sunday to a Monday after Patriots quarterback Cam Newton and former Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu tested positive.
Additionally, Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman only recently returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list after being exposed to someone who tested positive and missing three games.
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 230,000 lives in the U.S. alone, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Hospital Coronavirus Resource Center.
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Chiefs staff member tests positive for COVID. Team closes facility Thursday afternoon."
