PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to league sources.
Pederson convened a previously unscheduled team meeting Sunday night to share the news with his players. He did this after receiving a second positive test result confirming the diagnosis.
Pederson is asymptomatic and feeling fine, according to a source.
One other staff member who had been in close contact with Pederson was sent home.
Pederson, who is believed to have contracted COVID-19 outside of the team’s training facility, needs to quarantine and have multiple negative tests before returning to work.
Pederson, 52, is the second NFL head coach known to have contracted the coronavirus, but he is the first one to do it in season, where it takes on a different meaning.
In March, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton revealed that he had tested positive.
During a video conference with reporters earlier in the week, Pederson said he felt “extremely safe” reentering the work environment.
“This is our bubble right here at NovaCare. I can’t control everything, we can’t control everything,” Pederson said. “There probably are going to be some things that come up down the road, but right now, I feel extremely safe and this is a great environment for our players to succeed in,”
Pederson is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Eagles, a tenure highlighted by winning the Super Bowl after the 2017 season. He is 38-26 through four seasons, making the playoffs the past three years.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.
