The NFL season is ongoing amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has greatly impacted the nation. As the league tightens their protocols to prevent and minimize league-wide outbreaks, the Washington Football Team is apparently dealing with their own illness.
Two Washington reserve offensive linemen, guard Joshua Garnett and tackle David Sharpe have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants due to illness. Both did not practice Friday.
The news on Garnett and Sharpe happened on the same day, quarterback Dwayne Haskins returned to the team after dealing with an illness as well. Haskins, who was benched last week after starting four games, did not attend last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams after falling ill. He also missed practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning Friday.
When asked if a bug is going around the team, head coach Ron Rivera answered “apparently” it would seem that way.
“Apparently it seems to be that, so we’ll see,” Rivera said per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “Hopefully it’s not, but it’s this time of year with the flu starting to come out. So hopefully not. And I got to stay away from those guys.”
Rivera is currently undergoing rounds of chemotherapy for squamous cell cancer. That places him in high-risk of complications for contracting any illnesses, including the coronavirus.
Haskins underwent testing for the coronavirus each day while out before being sent home due to league protocols as precaution. It’s believed Sharpe and Garnett’s illnesses are also not related to COVID-19.
Haskins is expected to be inactive for the second consecutive game as the team’s No. 3 quarterback. Meanwhile, Washington still has nine offensive linemen with Sharpe and Garnett being out. That includes three-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff, who was activated off injured reserve Friday.
