Ravens say coronavirus protocol wasn’t fully followed, outbreak involved at least four strains
By Mark Maske
Dec. 5, 2020 at 4:52 p.m. EST
The Baltimore Ravens said Saturday that at least four unique strains of the coronavirus were identified during the team’s outbreak and that “not everyone” in the organization “followed the protocol thoroughly.”
The Ravens’ acknowledgment of protocol violations could be a precursor to the NFL imposing disciplinary measures. The team’s outbreak led to postponements of their games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, plus a delay of the Steelers’ game against the Washington Football Team. The NFL declined to comment Saturday. A person familiar with the situation previously said the NFL had not ruled out disciplinary action.
“Despite our best efforts, the protocol is only as effective as our weakest link,” Ravens President Dick Cass said in a statement released by the team. “With a dangerous virus like this, everyone must comply with the protocol to avoid infecting many. We now know that not everyone at the Ravens followed the protocol thoroughly.”
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The Ravens previously announced they were disciplining a team employee for actions related to the coronavirus cases. According to multiple reports, strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders was punished for failing to report symptoms and not consistently wearing a tracking device. The team has not confirmed those reports.
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The NFL uses genomic sequencing to identify strains of the virus when a team has multiple cases. In Saturday’s statement, Cass said the league identified “at least four unique strains of COVID-19 in our facility” during the outbreak.
“Three of the four were stopped and not spread within our organization,” Cass said. “Unfortunately, the fourth was a highly contagious strain and spread throughout our organization.”
Cass said infected players, staffers and their family members “are receiving treatment and are being monitored to provide them with the best possible care, and we are hoping for a full recovery for all.”
The Ravens’ game in Pittsburgh, originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night, was postponed three times by the NFL before it finally was played Wednesday afternoon. The Steelers won, 19-14, in the NFL’s second Wednesday game in 72 years. The Cowboys-Ravens game, scheduled for this past Thursday night, was pushed back to Tuesday. The Washington-Steelers game was delayed from Sunday to Monday.
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“We cannot undo what has occurred,” Cass said. “But we can do our best to learn from what has happened and be vigilant moving forward to ensure that it does not happen again. As the recent experience has shown us, this virus does not need a large opening to spread within an organization, and 99 [percent] compliance is not a passing grade when dealing with this virus. To our community, our neighbors, our fans and families, we say: Please learn from what happened here. This virus is serious. Very serious.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously warned teams that protocol violations resulting in adjustments to the schedule could result in game forfeits or the loss of draft picks. The Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots were fined $350,000 each for protocol violations. The Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints were fined $500,000, and each was stripped of a draft choice.
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Also, the NFL is hopeful that the league’s Los Angeles teams, the Rams and Chargers, won’t have to relocate because of new coronavirus-related restrictions in California. A person with knowledge of the NFL’s planning said it “doesn’t appear that the L.A. teams will need to do anything.”
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The league and those teams have been doing contingency planning in case the franchises must relocate, as the San Francisco 49ers already have done. The 49ers are playing their next two home games at the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium because of a ban on contact sports in Santa Clara County.
In a memo Thursday, the NFL informed teams they would be prohibited from having in-person meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays for the rest of the season. Team meetings on those days must be conducted remotely.
Players may access team facilities on Mondays and Tuesdays only for medical treatment or recovery purposes via on-field exercise or use of the weight room, provided there’s video surveillance. Exceptions are made for teams on short weeks of preparation for a game. The league’s previous 62-man limit on the number of players per team allowed to travel to a road game also was lifted.
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