The Pittsburgh Steelers season is over, this after the embarrassment in the Wild Card round of the AFC Playoffs against the Cleveland Browns, but the drama surrounding the team and the 2020 season is far from over.
Just hours after the loss to the Browns, it was reported that Steelers would have to close their facility because a player would be positive for COVID-19. Since the league made their typical contact tracking efforts, the Steelers had to be away from the facility.
This means a delay in the cleaning of players, their departure with the retirement interviews and many other facets associated with the end of the year procedures.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the player who tested positive was none other than tighthead Eric Ebron.
TE Eric Ebron played in the playoffs on Sunday after missing the final season in Cleveland because he was on the Reserve / Covid-19 list as a close contact. He tested positive on Monday, forcing the Steelers to close their South Side facility for players and coaches.
– Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) 13 January 2021
Ebron missed the Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Browns after having high-risk contact with Joe Haden, who tested positive for COVID-19. After the first news, it shouldn’t be a shock that Ebron tested positive.
With the end of the season, Ebron’s positive test result means very little to the organization. Since players are allowed to make their lives work normally, and they do not have to worry about a positive test affecting an upcoming match, the players will go through the above procedures as usual.
The hope is that Ebron does not have a serious case of COVID-19, and that there was no other spread in the rest of the players, coaches and staff of the organization. Watch BTSC for the latest news and notes around the black and gold as you prepare for the rest of a turbulent off-season.