Could you imagine if several of the Kansas City Chiefs – including quarterback Patrick Mahomes – had not been able to practice or play in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a haircut?
The Chiefs got a Covid-19 scare a week before the Super Bowl when it was learned that a barber giving members of the organization haircuts had tested positive for Covid-19, according to multiple reports.
Twenty members of the Chiefs, including Mahomes, other players and staff members, were in line to get haircuts on Sunday when the barber’s test results came back, according to ESPN.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reports that Chiefs backup center Daniel Kilgore was in the chair getting a haircut when the positive test result for the barber was learned. Both he and the barber were wearing masks, according to the report.
Kilgore on Wednesday posted a picture on Twitter with the hashtag #NewProfilePic, showing him with what looked like half of a cut. However, according to ESPN, Kilgore did indeed finish his haircut since he was in close contact.
Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson were added to the Chiefs’ reserve/Covid-19 list on Monday. They could still play Sunday if they register five consecutive negative tests.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said in a news conference Wednesday regarding the Chiefs, “We’re always monitoring these situations, but we had a very good understanding of the exposures, and so we did feel very good about being able to draw a tight circle around who might have been exposed and dealing with those through our protocols. … The club took very prompt and direct action.
“Our contact tracing team was on site and was able to get a very clear understanding of the exposures. At this point, we feel like we’re in a good position with that, and we’ll just continue to monitor it.”
The Chiefs did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
In the Covid-19 monitoring testing results for January 24-30 provided Tuesday by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, there were no new confirmed positive tests among players and one new confirmed positive among other personnel.