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FOXBORO, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton will miss three days of practice this week after what the team described as a COVID-19 protocol "misunderstanding."
The team said Newton had been away from New England for a medical appointment, and received daily tests that all tested negative, but didn't elaborate on what the problem was. The Patriots said Newton would need to be away from the team facilities for five days, and would return to practice on Thursday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Newton simply hadn't communicated that he had been tested to the Patriots management — meaning officially, he had "missed" a day of testing, even though he had been tested.
The NFL-NFLPA's guidelines for this season say only unvaccinated players need to be tested daily and wait five days before returning after missing a test. Vaccinated players are tested every two weeks.
Newton has remained mum on his vaccination status so far, but his mandatory five-day absence would imply that he is unvaccinated. The quarterback will still attend team meetings virtually until he can return.
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel