In the past few weeks, multiple players on the New England Patriots tested positive for COVID-19. According to NBC, the starting quarterback, Cam Newton tested positive on Friday, October 2, before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The National Football League (NFL) postponed the game to the following Monday, October 5th. The NFL then launched an investigation as to whether the team was following the Coronavirus protocols prior to Newton’s positive test result. 

On October 6, after the game against the Chiefs, Bill Murray was the second player on the Patriots to test positive for COVID-19. By the following day,  Stephon Gilmore, the backup quarterback, tested positive for COVID-19. The Patriots then cancelled their practice on Wednesday and the NFL rescheduled the Pats’ home game with the Denver Broncos from Monday, October 12 to Sunday, October 18. The Pats also announced that the defensive tackle Byron Cowart tested positive for COVID. Cowart was the fourth positive case on the Patriots team. After a few days, the whole team tested negative; and, on October 15th, Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore, and Bill Murray returned to practice and were removed from the Injured-Reserve/COVID-19 list. However, the next day, the Patriots canceled their practice again because the offensive lineman James Ferentz tested positive for the Coronavirus. 

Due to the multiple COVID-19 cases on the Patriots team, the players lost opportunities to practice, which affected their ability to perform in games, leading to two unfortunate losses. If you would like to know more about the details of how the team is doing, visit the NFL website at this link. Hopefully this is the end of the outbreak within the team and the Patriots can bounce back to finish the rest of the season strong!

Carol Li ’21

21cli@montroseschool.org