Dolphins rookies report for the first time — including the biggest name of them all
The Dolphins’ great hope for the future seems to have gotten great news in the present.
Tua Tagovailoa appears to be coronavirus-free.
The rookie quarterback was among the first-year Dolphins players to report to training camp Monday, signaling his two recent COVID-19 tests came back negative.
NFL rules mandate that all players must twice test negative in a 72-hour span before being allowed inside team headquarters.
The Dolphins shared videos on social media Monday of rookies reporting to camp, and Tagovailoa — the star Alabama quarterback — was among those seen walking in the players’ entrance.
Fellow first-round pick Austin Jackson, an offensive lineman out of USC, plus third-day picks Curtis Weaver and Malcolm Perry were among the others shown reporting to camp.
While this news is welcome for Dolphins fans, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
The NFL began announcing players placed on the new reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday. No Dolphins players were among the six put on that list.
Players who either test positive or are placed into quarantine due to close contact with an infected person are put on reserve/COVID-19 for at least three weeks. Teams are permitted to fill that roster spot until the person involved returns.
The Dolphins’ good health news stands in stark contrast to the Miami Marlins, who were forced to cancel their Monday night game against the Orioles after 12 Marlins players and two coaches tested positive for COVID-19 — by far the largest outbreak we’ve seen since professional team sports resumed in recent weeks.
Will a similar fate await the NFL? Pro football, like Major League Baseball, decided against holding their seasons in a bubble. So far, MLS and the NBA have had much better success operating in quarantine.
