CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills says the Panthers’ COVID-19 transmission was linked back “to some gathering of players outside the team facility” during Carolina’s bye week. The Panthers placed eight players on the COVID-19/reserve list on Monday, forcing the team to close its facility for two days.
The NFL has worked with the club and the players involved and Sills said he thinks there will be improvement with repeated messaging about what players should and shouldn’t be doing away from the team’s facility.
Carolina reported no additional positive tests on Wednesday and eligible players returned to practice.
The Panthers potentially face fines and a loss of a draft pick. The Las Vegas Raiders were fined $500,000, coach Jon Gruden was docked $150,000 and the team lost a sixth-round pick for its COVID-19 protocol violations in about a month ago following a repeat offense.
