An unnamed player for the XFL's Seattle Dragons has tested positive for the coronavirus, the league confirmed to Tom Schad of USA Today.
Konnor Fulk of XFL News Hub was the first to report the news early Saturday morning, just days after the XFL canceled the remainder of its season because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Per Schad, the player reported symptoms to the Dragons' medical staff Tuesday and was then placed in quarantine. He was tested shortly thereafter, and it came back as positive for coronavirus on Friday.
The unnamed player was active for the Dragons' final two games against the Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis Battlehawks but was asymptomatic at the time.
The XFL released the following statement regarding the measures being taken in line with advice from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
"The league is alerting players, staff, vendors and partners associated with the Dragons, Roughnecks, and BattleHawks, as this player also participated in the February 29 game in St. Louis. The XFL is monitoring the situation closely and taking every measure necessary in accordance with recommendations set forth by the CDC."On March 6, it was confirmed in a statement by King County health officials that a concessions vendor who works at CenturyLink Field in Seattle tested positive for the coronavirus. That employee worked the Feb. 22 game between the Dragons and Dallas Renegades.
After that game, the Dragons playedo on the road against the Battlehawks and Roughnecks the following two weeks.
Seattle had been scheduled to host the L.A. Wildcats on Sunday with no fans in attendance, but XFL officials decided to cancel the remainder of the season after the NBA, NHL and several other sports leagues suspended their seasons amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Dragons player is the third athlete from a major American sports league to publicly test positive for COVID-19, following Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the NBA's Utah Jazz.
Per CNN, there are over 142,000 known cases of coronavirus worldwide and more than 5,000 confirmed deaths. That includes nearly 1,700 cases and 41 deaths in the United States.
The XFL, which is owned by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, announced that it will still pay its players for the full 2020 season and remains committed to returning in 2021.
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