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In a memo to all 32 teams on October 2, the NFL announced it has extended its agreement with the NFLPA to continue daily COVID-19 testing on non-game days, This daily testing is also included during bye weeks, according to the memo.
Players and coaches will now not be allowed to leave their team’s city during the bye week as a result of this required daily testing. Those exempt from testing will also need to report to the club’s facility for daily screening and a temperature check.
The memo, obtained by ESPN, comes after more members of the Tennessee Titans organization came back with positive tests. As a result, this has led to the postponement of the team’s Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Two more Titans players tested positive on October 2, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This brings the team’s total number of current positive COVID-19 cases up to 13.
If a player misses a test without permission from his team, the NFL Management Council and the NFLPA, they will face a $50,000 fine for a first missed test, a one-game suspension for a second missed test and further discipline for three or more missed tests. This further discipline could even include additional suspensions.
Also, a player or coach who misses a daily test without authorization during the bye week must have five negative PCR tests, each taken 24 hours apart, before they’re allowed back into the team’s facility. If a player misses mandatory team activities throughout this time, they are subject to additional discipline or lost salary earnings.
