New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Saints announced Friday that the team’s head coach tested positive for the virus, “and was immediately isolated.” (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The team also announced that Payton is fully vaccinated, but will still have to miss up to 10 days because of the league’s protocols. It is the second time Payton has tested positive for the virus.
Saints Head Coach Sean Payton tested positive for Covid-19 and was immediately isolated. He has been fully vaccinated.
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 17, 2021
Per NFL protocols, Payton will be out for 10 days unless he meets the league requirements for a fully vaccinated individual to return to the team environment.
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 17, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen will assume the duties of head coach for the December 19th game at Tampa Bay.
Payton will return to coach the December 27th game against the Miami Dolphins.
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 17, 2021
First and foremost, we all hope Payton is feeling fine after testing positive for the virus and doesn’t have serious symptoms. The last thing you ever want to see is someone get sick.
Hopefully, the vaccine has helped mitigate his symptoms.
From NFL Now: #Saints coach Sean Payton is out Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19, with DC Dennis Allen — who is expected to be a top HC candidate again this cycle — taking over his duties. pic.twitter.com/llK5oU2fWv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 17, 2021
This is also the latest example the league has some serious COVID-19 issues on their hands. Multiple games have been postponed because of the virus, and people continue to test positive.
At this point, it seems like we have new cases in the NFL with every passing hour.
More info on #LVvsCLE being moved to Monday at 5 p.m., including a statement from the organization.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 17, 2021
Let’s hope everything gets ironed out sooner than later. The last thing we need is more people testing positive.