After a solid start to the season, the NFL has run into some coronavirus (COVID 19) issues over the last week as the Tennessee Titans had an organizational outbreak and New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, forcing their game to be pushed back a day.
The Las Vegas Raiders organization has also been in some hot water in recent weeks with Jon Gruden being fined for not wearing a mask on the sidelines and the team also being fined for an unauthorized media member being in the locker room. Then to cap it off, Derek Carr and a handful of other players were fined for not wearing masks at Darren Waller’s recent charity event.
Despite all the Raiders’ inability to follow protocols though, they had not had a single positive test in the organization since the season started.
That may have changed on Tuesday though as Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Raiders defensive tackle was placed on the Reserve-COVID 19 list:
Raiders placed DT Maurice Hurst on Reserve-Covid 19 list today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 6, 2020
Hurst being placed on the Reserve-COVID 19 list means he either tested positive or has come in contact with someone that tested positive. Tashan Reed of The Athletic provided some insight on this not having to do with Waller’s charity event and when the positive test came about:
No, Hurst wasn't at Darren Waller's charity event last week. This isn't that. If he got a positive test today, then it was from a test he took Monday morning. Don't think we can rule out that he might've been positive during the game Sunday.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) October 6, 2020
If Hurst has contracted coronavirus then the next few days will be important in determining if any other Raiders players did as well. The Titans had multiple positive tests trickle in a few days after the first ones were reported, so it will take some time to determine if it is just Hurst or multiple individuals within the organization.
In four games this season, Hurst has recorded 13 total tackles and 0.5 sacks playing in 42% of the team’s defensive stats. His presence in the middle will be missed if he is unable to play in Week 5 when the Raiders take on the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs.
