Stephon Gilmore’s positive COVID test seems a bad omen for the Chiefs

Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for COVID-19, which could signal something much worse on the way.

NFL reporter Tom Pelissero is reporting that New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for COVID-19. In response, the Pro Bowl defender is sitting out practice on Wednesday.

Gilmore becomes the second player to test positive for COVID-19 just days after visiting and playing against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Defensive tackle Bill Murray was placed on the Patriots reserve/COVID list on Tuesday and now Gilmore is another player with a positive test—and this all comes on the heels of Saturday’s shocking news that quarterback Cam Newton was also positive.

All of this calls into the question the methods and measures used to not only keep players safe and the virus from spreading, but how the calls were made to play the game in the first place. If Patriots players are still actively getting the coronavirus, then it clearly was not contained heading into Week 4, which puts two franchises at risk—not only players but staff members and coaches and their immediate families.

At this point, not a single member of the Chiefs organization has been positive as well, but only 36 hours (as of press time) has passed since teams left the field following their Week 4 contest. Given the reality that COVID-19 can take days to show up on a test, it feels like fans should cross their fingers in hope that all results remain negative.

This entire debacle seems like it’s bordering on a major dilemma for the National Football League. Did the league rush to judgment to allow the Patriots and Chiefs to play in Week 4? Should the league have postponed the game for some time for the sake of certainty and figure out the logistical headaches later on? As this thing begins to potentially spiral out of control, questions will be asked and the logistics could become a lot more difficult than what Week 4 presented.