Jul 29, 2020Vikings Athletic Trainer Tests Positive for COVID-19
Shortly before the National Football League is to begin the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Vikings announced that a leader in its sports medicine staff has tested positive for the virus.
According to a story from CBS Sports, the Vikings shared that athletic trainer and vice president of sports medicine Eric Sugarman — in addition to some of his family members. The team stated that Sugarman was quick to share his positive results with the Vikings and they then “began to follow the previously established comprehensive protocol created by the NFL and national and local health experts.”
Since the pandemic started Sugarman has also been serving as the Vikings infection control officer in addition to his other duties. The team stated, according to CBS Sports, that Sugarman and his family are currently self-quarantining and added that he has not had contact with any players recently.
“We have followed the team’s protocol for sanitizing the facility and for notifying any personnel who may have been in close contact with Eric,” the team said in a statement. “Those individuals have been tested and are returning under the established guidelines. Eric has not had recent contact with players, and no additional cases within the Vikings front office have been identified at this time.
“Eric will continue to fulfill his role as the team’s ICO virtually as much as possible, and his athletic training staff and other Vikings personnel will assist where necessary. We wish Eric and his family a quick and full recovery and look forward to him returning to the Vikings when appropriate.
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Sugarman has 23 years of service in the NFL and 14 years with the Vikings, specifically. He and his staff were awarded as 2017’s Athletic Training Staff of the Year by the NFL.
To read the full story from CBS Sports on the Vikings’ athletic trainer testing positive for COVID-19, click here.
