ALLEN PARK (WXYZ) — The Lions have done the best that they can to create a bubble situation in Allen Park as they push towards a season while maintaining heath and safety for their players and staff.
After franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford tested positive for the coronavirus last week, there was plenty of concern for he and his family, until the test turned out to be a false negative, the time in between though, Stafford admitted, was scary.
“I mean there was no doubt there was some fear, as I think everyone would have if they got a test that came in positive, and just knowing how much I’m around and had been around my family and my kids, and that’s a little bit of a scary thing,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said.
The Stafford’s had the entire family tested and all results were negative, obviously a huge relief for them. The NFL has changed some of the protocols for testing in the wake of the false-positive test, and hopefully this type of scare won’t happen again. But for Stafford, he took that immediate reaction to the result extremely seriously, saying that he had no reason to doubt the positive test because of the unknowns that come along with the virus.
“It can happen to anybody, you can be as careful as you want to be and sometimes it happens, I’m just happy that at this point everybody, to my knowledge, in my family are negative and healthy,” Stafford added.
Stafford did talk some football, and he admitted that he feels incredibly safe at the facility with all the precautions and protocols the Lions have in place. He also admitted that at no point did he consider opting out of the season. He’s excited to press on, wants to play football for the enjoyment of fans, but knows that things may change and he along with the team will have to adapt.
“It’s totally unknown times for all of us, the league, players, coaches, the organization as a whole, everything is new and it’s unknown, I know that everybody is doing the best that they possibly can. I’m glad it happened to me at this point and the league is doing what they can to change and make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Stafford said.
Stafford is hopeful for the season and believes that the team and league will continue to monitor tests to ensure the health and safety so they can get ahead of any positive tests that may find its way into an NFL locker room this season.
