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Report: Saints HC Sean Payton tests positive for coronavirus

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported the news on Thursday, saying Payton told ESPN he tested positive for the virus. According to Schefter, Payton wanted to inform ESPN of the situation to show that people should be taking the government-issued warnings seriously.

Payton is the first individual from the NFL to test positive for the virus.

“This is not just about social distancing,” Payton told Schefter. “It’s shutting down here for a week to two weeks. If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what experts are saying. It’s not complicated to do what they’re asking of us. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact.”

The virus has beginning spreading across the country, and a handful of NBA players have tested positive. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz was the first from the league to test positive for coronavirus.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB