Dallas Cowboys says NFL followed proper protocol in handling of Dez Bryant’s COVID test
Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said the team has no issues with how the NFL handled Dez Bryant’s positive COVID-19 test less than 90 minutes before the kickoff of Tuesday’s 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Bryant, the former Cowboys receiver who now plays for the Ravens, previously had an inconclusive test result.
He was removed from the field during warmups and then tested positive. The league and the Ravens then conducted contact tracing, but found no close contacts that would have delayed the game or forced the removal of other players or team personnel.
And even though Bryant was seen hugging and talking to former teammates while warming up, he evidently didn’t spend more than 15 minutes around anyone and all were wearing masks.
“Everybody was respectful of the protocol,” Jones said Wednesday on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “Everybody had masks on. The conversations were short and of course it was outside.”
NFL medical director Dr. Allen Sills says all procedures were done properly and in the same manner as every case.
“I made the final determination that there were no high-risk close contacts to the case, so there was no need to remove anyone else,” Sills said in a conference call Wednesday.
“I would say it was a very straightforward review simply because there were very few contacts identified by the data. So there were simply very few contacts to be reviewed, and with the cooperation of the player involved, we did not identify any other worrisome contacts.
“ ... The fact that we were able to do it fairly quickly is not reflective of a lack of thoroughness in the process. It’s just simply the amount of data to be sorted through that allowed us to do that.”
High-risk close contacts are determined by four variables: cumulative exposure time, distance, the ventilation available, and the use of masks.
Sills said the key things about Tuesday night’s decision with Bryant is that he was removed as soon as his positive test came back, every other player had tested negative, and all interactions were outdoors.
“The brevity of an interaction and the outdoor nature of it is certainly an important factor here,” Sills said. “As we’ve said all along, not all interactions are the same. Again, I think that’s not just with NFL guidance, but if you look at public health guidance, brief interactions outdoors aren’t considered nearly as risky as indoor interactions, un-masked interactions, and poorly ventilated areas, and those that extend over a longer duration of time or shorter distance particularly when those factors are in combination.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said there have been no further complications since returning from Baltimore. He has not been made aware of any positive tests associated with interactions with Bryant before the game.
“I have nothing to report on that front,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “As far as I know, everything is negative.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 5:33 PM.
