Detroit Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell reportedly won’t be on the sideline Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Ian Rapoport, the man leading the Lions after Matt Patricia was fired has been “deemed a high-risk close contact of someone who tested positive for” coronavirus, and that means he won’t be available Saturday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Bevell is the first head coach of the season to miss a game because of a coronavirus issue.
#Lions interim coach Darrell Bevell, deemed a high-risk close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, won’t coach this Saturday vs the #Bucs, sources say. The first head coach to miss a game due to COVID protocols this season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 24, 2020
We all knew this could happen, and now it has. It was previously reported that Bevell and several members of the defensive staff might miss the Saturday matchup because of contact tracing.
Now, Bevell will have to watch the game on a TV.
Sources: The #Lions COVID-19 positives from yesterday left their coaching staff in a difficult situation. Almost all of their defensive staff members are considered close contacts, while interim coach Darrell Bevell is, too. DET is still determining who can coach this Saturday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 23, 2020
It’s also pretty incredible that we’re nearing the end of December, and the NFL has just now head a head coach miss a game because of a coronavirus related issue.
All things considered, the league has done a great job of keeping everyone healthy, safe and available to do their jobs.
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We’ll see how we do this Saturday without Bevell! I’m not holding my breath for a great outcome.