TAMPA, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line player Ndamukong Suh did not travel with the team to Houston and has been placed on the reserve list / COVID-19, the team announced Saturday.
The incumbents are expected to play extensively in the third and final preseason game Saturday night in the Texans before playing in the opening NFL game on Thursday, September 9th.
Suh is the fourth Bucs player this week to be placed on the reserve list / COVID-19, joining kicker Ryan Succop and offensives Nick Leverett and Earl Watford. All four players are vaccinated, sources told ESPN.
That comes three days after Bucs coach Bruce Arians announced he was implementing stricter rules for his team while traveling, including no restaurants or family visits, activities allowed for people vaccinated according to league protocols.
“There are league rules and then there are my rules. We’re not going anywhere. We’re the same as last year,” Arians said Wednesday. “I don’t give a shit if they’re vaccinated or not. They’re not going anywhere.”
The state of Florida has some of the highest COVID-19 case numbers in the country. On Friday, the Florida Department of Health reported 151,760 new cases last week, with an average of 21,680 new infections a day. NFL rules allow teams to implement protocols, such as mandatory indoor masks, in known areas.
The state of vaccination, however, makes the difference in how quickly a player can return to action. Unlike unvaccinated players, who are subjected to forty to ten days if they test positive for COVID-19, vaccinated players should be asymptomatic and return two negative test results 24 hours apart to return.