Source: New England Patriots' Stephon Gilmore tests positive for COVID-19; no practice for team
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for COVID-19, league sources confirmed to ESPN, and the team has canceled its Wednesday practice.
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, who tested positive Saturday, and practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray had already been placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list. Being on the reserve list does not mean a player tested positive for the coronavirus; it could also mean he has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
Gilmore, the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, played every defensive snap in Monday night's 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs' tests all came back negative Wednesday morning, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano.
The team took two planes to the game Monday, with a group of players who had the closest contact to Newton on one plane, and the rest of the team on the other.
Gilmore was on the plane of people who had close contact with Newton, a source told ESPN.
Newton took to Twitter on Wednesday, stressing the importance of wearing a mask.
The Patriots have shut down their football operations at Gillette Stadium, outside of essential personnel, with plans to handle everything virtually on Wednesday, according to a source.
After Monday's game, Gilmore acknowledged how things changed for the team after Newton had tested positive.
"It's just a situation we had to go through, a lot of testing," he said. "We had to adjust a lot. ... At the end of the day, we came out, fought as much as we can, but just came up a little short."
The team is scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
NFL Network first reported on Gilmore's positive test.
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