Los Angeles—Ezekiel Elliott was one of several players from the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, US reports said on Monday.
The NFL Network quoted Cowboys star Elliott’s agent as saying that the running back was “feeling good” despite the positive test.
The Cowboys declined to confirm the report citing player confidentiality rules.
“Due to federal and local privacy laws, we are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of any of our employees,” the team said in a statement.
None of the players who had recently tested positive had been in their team’s facilities.
Although NFL coaches have been allowed to return to team facilities, players remain barred from reporting for duty.
Instead players will be required to work in “virtual programs” through June 26 rather than in-person mini camps.
The NFL and its players union are in talks to determine protocols for creating a safe reopening of training camps, which is expected to come next month ahead of September’s scheduled start of the 2020 season.
In the NHL, an unidentified Boston Bruins player tested positive for COVID-19 as part of the NHL’s return to play plan, but has since tested negative twice, the club said Friday.
The Bruins, who had the NHL’s best record when the season was shut down by the pandemic on March 12, said the positive test was returned as part of required tests before players could use NHL team facilities for workouts, a period that began Monday.
“The player underwent two subsequent tests, and both returned negative,” the team said in a statement. “The player remains asymptomatic.”
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the player who tested positive has not been at the team facility.
The team said all players who have returned have returned negative COVID-19 test results, and it will continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as well as NHL return protocols.
The player is the first known Bruins player to test positive for the virus.
Training camps are scheduled to open July 10 as the next stage of the NHL’s return, provided medical safety conditions allow and the league and players union have reached a deal to resume games.
The NHL plans to have 24 teams return with a chance to win the Stanley Cup, eight top clubs playing each other to determine seedings while the bottom 16 meet in eight playoff qualifying series.
Boston would be among the trophy favorites after getting 44 wins and 100 points from 70 games.