KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The team confirmed Wednesday that Mathieu had been placed on the list. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero repoted that Mathieu tested positive for the virus.
#Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu tested positive and is going on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per the transaction wire.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 1, 2021
Under the league’s COVID-19 protocols, a vaccinated player who tests positive and remains asymptomatic is permitted to return to the team after two negative tests 24 hours apart.
Unvaccinated players who test positive but remain asymptomatic must isolate for 10 days and can return to the team thereafter subject to approval by team medical staff, but they are not allowed to travel or have direct contact with any other club personnel other than medical staff.
Players who experience COVID-19 symptoms must quarantine for 10 days from the onset of symptoms and be fever free without medication for at least 24 hours before returning to the team.
Other symptoms — including possible cough and shortness of breath — also must have resolved.
Players who experience mild symptoms must complete a minimum three-day “progressive exercise protocol ... with appropriate clinical monitoring before returning to full participation.”
Moderate to severe infections require a seven-day progressive exercise protocol under team supervision.
For players and staff deemed a close contact, unvaccinated individuals are subject to a five-day quarantine, while vaccinated individuals are not subject to an automatic quarantine.
It’s unclear if Mathieu was vaccinated or not, but the team has reported that more than 95% of the team is vaccinated.
Mathieu told reporters April 19 that he “had not gotten my vaccination yet. I’m hoping that I could do it soon, but obviously it’s a choice for everybody involved. I think everybody will have different perspectives on it.”
At that time, he said he was “still kind of going through the process, me and my family” with respect to the vaccine.
It’s unclear if he has received a vaccine since that time.
It’s also unclear when he initially tested positive for COVID-19, but if he’s unvaccinated and experiences symptoms it would put his availability for the 2021 season opener in jeopardy.
The Chiefs open the season Sept. 12 at home against the Cleveland Browns.
