The New Orleans Saints will be without head coach Sean Payton this Sunday when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Friday, the team announced that Payton tested positive for COVID-19.
Since the Saints won’t have Payton on the sidelines this weekend, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will assume the duties of head coach.
In the Saints’ official statement, they released a timeline for Payton’s return. If all goes well, he’ll be back for Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins.
“Per NFL protocols, Payton will be out for 10 days unless he meets the league requirements for a fully vaccinated individual to return to the team environment,” the Saints said.
Per NFL protocols, Payton will be out for 10 days unless he meets the league requirements for a fully vaccinated individual to return to the team environment.
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 17, 2021
This is the second time that Payton has tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two years. He is fully vaccinated.
Payton missed practice on Wednesday because he wasn’t feeling well. At that time, he tested negative. It wasn’t until Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19.
It’s unclear if this will lead to additional positive tests for the Saints. As of now, they’ll just have to prepare fo the Buccaneers without their head coach.
The Saints should provide more updates on their COVID-19 situation over the next 48 hours.
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