John Harbaugh: Trust the science on contact tracing

Dallas Cowboys v Baltimore Ravens
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For much of the last two weeks, many Ravens players and coaches have been isolating, some because they tested positive for COVID-19 and others because they were in close contact with someone who tested positive. But on Tuesday night, Ravens receiver Dez Bryant tested positive just before kickoff, but no one else on the team was designated as a close contact. That immediately raised questions.

To Ravens coach John Harbaugh, the questions have been sufficiently answered. According to Harbaugh, the league’s contact tracing policies have been thoroughly vetted and the league has handled it appropriately.

You have to trust the science on it,” Harbaugh said, via PennLive.com. “The way they go about doing [contact tracing], that’s what the league does. They put a team into place. I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks that that team is very extensive, and that’s their job. So, that’s what they determined.”

The league says contact tracing was conducted after Bryant’s positive test and no high-risk contacts were identified.

13 responses to “John Harbaugh: Trust the science on contact tracing

  1. I only trust science when it points in the direction i want it to…otherwise it has to be fake lol

  2. Jeff Risdon
    December 8, 2020, 8:40 PM

    The drama with the Baltimore Ravens and their ongoing COVID-19 issues still isn’t over. And it just might have cost them a prominent player.

    Wide receiver Dez Bryant was poised to get considerable playing time against his longtime team, the Dallas Cowboys, in the Tuesday night matchup in Baltimore. But Bryant was yanked off the field less than 20 minutes before the game after testing positive for COVID-19 in a rapid test.

    Bryant, never one to hide his emotions, tweeted shortly thereafter that he’s done with the NFL for the rest of the season. Noting “I can’t deal with this”, Bryant quit just as the oddly scheduled game was about to kick off.

    Bryant had seen some playing time with the Ravens after missing almost three full seasons. The wideout had a well-publicized audition with the Browns in that timeframe but never joined Cleveland.

    Bryant also tweeted out something that definitely makes you wonder about the NFL’s protocols…

    The Ravens, with or without Bryant, play at Cleveland on Monday Night Football in Week 14. It will be their third game in 13 days after the NFL bent over backward to accommodate the COVID-19 outbreak caused by a Ravens staffer not following protocols.

  3. That’s kind of scary if they can’t trace this. However it does seem like a vaccine is very close to a reality. One can only hope it helps us get back to a sense of normalcy.

  4. If we are All being honest, the Ravens practice squad would have rushed for 200 yards and still beat the cowboys.

  5. I do not find it plausible that Dez had zero contact with anyone. The NFL just wants to ram through the schedule. Just wait until there is another outbreak on the Ravens and/or Cowboys. THAT one will be on the league for playing this game. What a poop-show.

  6. Let’s see what he says when the huge fine and loss of picks come as punishment for being so careless.

  7. NFL is at fault for the Ravens outbreak, they approved 2 walk through practices after positive test results.

    It is entirely possible a major contributing factor is the close proximity of the lab to Raven facilities that is a source for continued positive tests results.

  8. Goodell is proving yet again to treat the Ravens differently and break his own prescribed protocols for them and Lamar. Dez was positive and infectious and travelling with the team and in close proximity with teammates and coaches– that is indisputable. And yet they still played the game?
    This is his own mess, which he and the Ravens have created, by violating all the protocols. I hope no one else gets sick. I mean, you wouldn’t have wanted to postpone this game again and force the Ravens to play multiple games in a week, right? That would be unfair to the poor Ravens.

  9. Are they going to contact trace everyone that Dez Bryant hugged in the pre-game warm-ups? Even if he was wearing a mask,he should have been in quarantine,not out there talking about old times with ex-teammates.

  10. No travel for a home game! NFL took responsibility for a bad decision to let Ravens practice prolonging the outbreak. The least they could do was postpone the schedule.

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