First coronavirus outbreak hits the NFL

Three players and five staff members from the Tennessee Titans have tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL team canceled all of its in-person activities through Friday. The Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, halted practices on Tuesday.

How does this affect the season? The NFL has not yet said whether it will postpone the Titans’ game on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Vikings’ matchup with the Houston Texans. The contest between the undefeated Titans and Steelers was supposed to be the first game with limited stadium attendance this season. “This is not unexpected,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a league-wide memo on Tuesday. “There will be players and staff who will test positive during the season.”

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger’s report in Muse on the NFL’s crackdown on conduct possibly offensive to Native Americans.