Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to his agent.
Rocky Arceneaux told the NFL Network on Monday that Elliott was feeling OK and recovering. Arceneaux did not immediately return messages seeking comment, but a person with direct knowledge of the diagnosis told The Associated Press that Elliott had the positive test about a week ago and could be described as symptomatic. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to discuss Elliott’s diagnosis publicly.
The Cowboys declined to comment, citing privacy laws.
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Only players who have been rehabilitating injuries have been allowed inside team facilities during the pandemic shutdown. That hasn’t included Elliott.
The NFL is in the process of establishing protocols for the return of players, including what would happen in the case of positive tests, but there is no timetable for their return. Training camps are supposed to start in a little more than a month.
Several players have gone public with their diagnosis, including star Denver pass rusher Von Miller. Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen was the first to publicly acknowledge a positive test, on April 15.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and even death.
The 24-year-old Elliott has led the NFL in rushing twice in his first four seasons. He missed all of training camp last year in a contract holdout, eventually signing a $90 million, six-year extension a few days before the start of the season.