DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 23: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions reacts to play in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on December 23, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Minnesota Vikings won 27 - 9. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, according to multiple reports.
The reserve/COVID-19 list is a new creation this year due to the ongoing pandemic. A player can be put on the list if he either tests positive for COVID-19 or have been put in quarantine after possibly being exposed.
It is unclear which category Stafford falls under, but we’re wishing him and his family all the best. Stafford’s wife Kelly underwent surgery last year for a brain tumor and announced in March she was pregnant.
Stafford is one of four players on the reserve/COVID-19 transaction wire today, along with Chance Warmack, Saivion Smith and Lerentee McCray.
Today’s COVID-19 list update. Obviously, Lions QB Matt Stafford is the big one. pic.twitter.com/FUJFgOVvW7
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 1, 2020
The Lions now have eight players on the COVID-19 list, with Matthew Stafford joining his top wide receiver Kenny Golladay and second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson, among others.
Stafford was playing some of the best football of his career through eight games last season, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and only five interceptions. However, his season was cut short prematurely due to fractures in his back, making 2019 the first time since 2010 that Stafford did not start all 16 games for the Lions.
Whatever is the cause for Stafford’s inclusion on the COVID-19 list, we hope he and his family are okay.
