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Philadelphia Eagles head coach tests positive for coronavirus

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-quarantining, the football team said Sunday. 

Pederson is asymptomatic and “doing well,” according to the team’s statement. 

“The organization is following the protocols established by the NFL and the NFLPA,” the team said. “Any individual in close contact with Pederson at our facility has been notified and will continue with daily testing procedures and compliance with all protocols before returning to the facility.”

Pederson’s positive COVID-19 test comes as teams have been reporting to training camps since July. Last week, however, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell canceled preseason games out of caution. 

The NFL is not the only major sports league experiencing coronavirus outbreaks. 

The Miami Marlins baseball team announced it would temporarily suspend its 2020 season after 17 players tested positive for the coronavirus. A separate, smaller outbreak has been reported among the St. Louis Cardinals.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Saturday, however, said there was “no reason” for games to go on hold, even as more than a dozen games have been postponed in the last few weeks.

“We are playing,” Manfred told ESPN. “The players need to be better, but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now. We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.”