CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has tested positive for coronavirus, the Patriots confirmed.
NewsNation confirmed Newton has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
The team said players, coaches and staff who were in close contact with Newton were tested this morning and all were negative.
The Patriots in a tweeted statement confirming that a player tested positive, but did not identify Newton until later Saturday.
This is Newton’s first year playing with the Patriots. So far he is the highest-profile NFL player to test positive for the coronavirus this season. Newton has started all three games for New England.
The Patriots were scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. That game has seen been postponed to either Monday or Tuesday.
Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu also tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. Ta’amu has not appeared in a game but would have spent time in meetings with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the team’s other QBs. The Chiefs shut down their facility Saturday.
“It’s a pandemic, so things can happen,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week, when news emerged from Tennessee about an outbreak with the Titans, which has forced their game against Pittsburgh to be postponed. “But you’ve got to take as many precautionary measures as you can and try to stick with them, and if something happens like that, then you’ve got to work through that. We’ve all been coached up on it, and we’re all trying to do the best we possibly can with it.”