Browns' COVID-19 issues stemmed from players using hot tub

The Cleveland Browns will be without several key players for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets due to COVID-19 protocols. Starting linebacker B.J. Goodson was the only Browns player to test positive, but several others are not eligible for the game after they picked the wrong time to have a soak in the hot tub.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported on Sunday that Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge were all deemed close contacts to Goodson because of their use of the hot tub at the Browns’ facility.

“If you’re thinking how are the wide receivers with a linebacker — ready for this? From the hot tub,” Glazer said. “There was close contact in the hot tub, and as a result those guys are out of this game.”

That meshes with what Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported late Saturday night, which is that the players were in the recovery pool area of Cleveland’s facility. That area includes the hot tub and the cold tub, and sharing it is not, in itself, a COVID-19 violation.

The NFL’s medical experts look at the amount of time spent in the area, distance between people, mask use and ventilation. If the threshold is exceeded in two or more of those categories after a player tests positive, those who exceeded the threshold are labeled high-risk close contacts.

Landry tweeted a very blunt reaction to the COVID news, and you can understand why he and his teammates are frustrated. The Browns can potentially clinch a playoff spot on Sunday if they win and have some other things go their way.