What do athletes say about their coronavirus battle? Von Miller is the latest to share
As the clock slowly ticked down to 7 p.m. on March 11 in Sacramento, the sports world was on edge.
Despite murmurs of fevers and dry coughs, the scheduled tip-off between the Sacramento Kings and the visiting New Orleans Pelicans was still a go.
Earlier in the evening, the league had canceled the Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder game minutes after it was determined that Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19. Yet, officials hadn’t dropped the hammer on the Kings’ game.
But the players knew something was up, just as NBA referee Courtney Kirkland, who was scheduled to work the Kings-Pelicans game, knew. He’d worked a Jazz game two days before and was exposed to Gobert.
Using an “abundance of caution,” the NBA canceled the Kings-Pelicans game in the 11th hour.
Little did we know that those few seconds before the game was called would be the last sports arena charge that any of us would feel course through our veins for more than a month - and counting.
The coronavirus hasn’t just changed the sports world, its flipped the entire globe on its side and what was once was considered normalcy in our day-to-day existence is now just a sunshine sparkled memory. The virus doesn’t see status, money, or fame and attacks everyone equally, including athletes like Gobert and his teammate, Donovan Mitchell.
As of April 17 more than 30 athletes and former athletes have reported testing positive for COVID.
At least six have died.
The latest athlete to acknowledge he has the coronavirus is Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, who joins Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen as the second NFL player who has contracted the virus.
“It all started with just a simple cough and it got worse,” Milller, the 31-year old Super Bowl MVP, said to the TODAY show from his home in Colorado on Friday morning.
“And my assistant said, ‘Why don’t you just get tested?”
Miller falls in line with a number of athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and while some have been asymptomatic, others have shared about their unpleasant experiences while fighting COVID-19.
Here’s a list of the athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and those who have died.
NBA, WNBA
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Durant is no doubt one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA, but even he wasn’t immune to COVID. The Nets announced on March 17 that four of their players had tested positive, Durant being one of them. Durant has since been declared recovered and posted a video of him asking people to stay at home in order to flatten the curve.
Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
By now everyone has heard the story of Gobert facetiously messing with reporters during a presser by touching all the microphones and phones placed on the table before him. Gobert would then go on to be the first NBA player who tested positive, leading to the ongoing suspension of the NBA.
Gobert tweeted out that the virus caused him to lose his sense of smell and taste, which is a mild symptom of COVID.
Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Mitchell, Gobert’s teammate who also contracted the virus, has said that he’s asymptomatic, but was adamant on practicing safe social distancing.
“The biggest thing for me is just to stay in isolation and just keep to myself,” Mitchell told “Good Morning America” days after his positive result. “I keep making the joke to people that ask that if you were to tell me I might play in a seven-game series tomorrow, I’d be ready to lace up. I’m really blessed that that’s the case.”
Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Smart was also fortunate enough to experience no symptoms and has kept his fanbase updated on his health via Twitter.
Christian Wood (Detroit Pistons)
Wood was actually the first known NBA player to be cleared from the virus two weeks after he was diagnosed on March 15.
Sydney Wiese (LA Sparks)
Wiese was the first WNBA player to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in March. She too only experienced a loss of her sense of smell and taste.
James Dolan (Owner, New York Knicks)
On March 28, the New York Knicks PR department tweeted out that owner James Dolan had tested positive, but still was overseeing business operations.
Jason Collins (retired)
The NBA veteran experienced a headache on March 11 before he came down with a fever and cough. Collins, who played with four NBA teams, including the Celtics and Nets, released a statement about what he went through in a thread on Twitter.
NFL
Sean Payton (head coach, New Orleans Saints)
The famous head coach of the Saints was diagnosed on March 19 and was the first known person in the NFL to test positive for the coronavirus.
“So I’ve been fortunate,” the coach said during an interview with WWL radio. “You stay inside like everyone’s doing, and you find ways to pass the time. We had the competition committee meeting the other day on teleconference. But I’m feeling a lot better.”
Brian Allen (LA Rams)
Allen, a Rams center, was the first active NFL player to test positive for COVID-19 on April 15. Allen is now symptom-free, but had suffered the loss of smell and taste.
Tony Boselli (Retired)
Boselli, a former left tackle with the Jackson Jaguars, was one of the unfortunate athletes who suffered frightening symptoms of the virus and had to be hospitalized. Boselli said that the illness almost “buried” him.
“I never felt like, ‘Poor me, or why me?’” the former NFL star told The Florida Times-Union. “You get sick, it happens. But the fact that I was in the hospital with the coronavirus and crazy thoughts were going through my mind, like ‘I can’t believe this is going on.’ The worst was my second day in ICU when they were upping my oxygen levels. That was probably the lowest, scariest moment. I had no one around me.”
Mark Campbell (Retired)
Former Michigan andNFL tight end Campbell also was bulldozed by the virus, which led to him being hospitalized for five days.
“I played 10 years in the NFL, pretty tough, was thinking basically I’m going to grind all this out,” Campbell told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It [expletive] kicked my [expletive].”
Campbell played with the Bills, Browns and Saints.
Colton Underwood (Retired)
The former NFL player - he had stints with the Chargers, Eagles and Raiders before ending his career and becoming a participant in the 14th season of The Bachelor - told ET that he tested positive on March 20.
“It was like I had access to only 20 percent of my lungs,” he said. “The reason why the coughing was so scary and so hard to deal with is because when you cough, you can’t get that air back as quickly as you normally can.”
College football
Jamie Howard (Ex-quarterback, LSU)
Former LSU quarterback Jamie Howard and his son Walker were both diagnosed with the coronavirus on April 3. Walker is a four-star prospect in the Class of 2022 out of St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“I think everyone needs to know this is a very serious thing,” the elder Howard said to The Advocate. “When it’s all said and done, I think a lot of us, maybe half of us, are going to be exposed at some point.”
After experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, former USC linebacker Quinton Powell was admitted into the hospital and tested positive.
“All I want is for everyone to take it serious,” Powell said to USCfootball.com. “Stay inside with people you know and trust because this isn’t a joke. I’ve been in a hotel room away from people going on two days now. And I haven’t been well at all.”
Dylan Reda (Ex-linebacker, Southern Miss)
Former Southern Miss linebacker Dylan Reda said that he was experiencing body aches, a fever, and loss of taste before he was admitted to the emergency room on March 20. The 28-year-old was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia and wasn’t officially diagnosed with COVID-19 until two weeks later.
“Take this seriously,” Reda said. “I feel like a lot of people my age might not feel invincible, but they might not feel they’ll be affected by it as much as maybe their grandparents or their parents. If you have any symptoms at all, do what you’re supposed to do.”
Zac Alley (Linebackers coach, Boise State)
Zac Alley, the Boise State outside linebackers coach and co-special teams coordinator, tested positive for the virus in early April and explained how he went from experiencing no symptoms, to feeling the need to go to the hospital in a short time.
“I had no symptoms, anything, and in about a 24-hour period, I went from zero to 100,” he said. “I didn’t think it was a big deal throughout the day and next thing I know, it was like, ‘All right, we probably need to go to the hospital.’ I don’t recommend it to anybody, it was definitely one of the worst pains I’ve felt in my life.”
College basketball
Doris Burke (ESPN NBA analyst; ex-point guard, Providence)
On March 27, ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke revealed to Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast The Woj Pod, that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and was recovering. The former Providence College point guard explained that she started experiencing symptoms back on March 11.
“I did test positive for COVID-19,” she said. “Basically, my first symptom, looking back on it now, Adrian, was March 11, which was the day I was broadcasting Denver at Dallas, which was obviously the moment when Rudy Gobert tested positive, which set off the ensuing series of events.”
MLB
Jim Edmonds (Retired, MLB)
Former baseball All-Star Jim Edmonds tested positive for the coronavirus and also had pneumonia.
“If you don’t feel good, go to the doctor or go to the emergency room if you can’t breathe,” Edmonds, who played for six MLB teams, including the Angels and Cubs. “That’s what happened to me. They didn’t want to test me, and I forced them to take me into the emergency room, and, lo and behold, pneumonia and the virus.”
Pro soccer
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea Arsenal)
According to a statement from the Chelsea clubhouse, wing Callum Hudson-Odoi “displayed symptoms similar to a mild cold” and was not on the training ground as a precaution after he started feeling ill. He had also stated that he felt fine after testing positive.
Mikel Arteta (manager, Chelsea Arsenal)
The positive COVID-19 test of manager Mikel Arteta led to the closure of London Colney training centre on March 13. This news broke shortly after the Premier League said play would resume as usual. Arteta posted on Twitter that he appreciated the support and that he was on the mend.
Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Three players for Juventus, including Paulo Dybala, tested positive for the coronavirus. Dybala has said that he is feeling well on Twitter.
Blaise Matuidi (Juventus)
The Juventus midfielder tested positive on March 17.
Daniele Rugani (Juventus)
The Juventus midfielder was the first to test positive on the team on March 11.
Tennis
Patrick McEnroe (Former tennis player)
The former U.S. Davis Cup captain announced via Twitter that he had tested positive for the virus, yet that he was feeling “fine.”
He is John McEnroe’s youngest brother.
R.I.P.
Tom Dempsey (former NFL)
New Orleans kicker Tom Dempsey died on April 5 from complications of coronavirus at the age of 73. The former NFL great -- he was best known for kicking a 63-yard field goal in 1970, a record that stood for 43 years -- revealed back in 2012 that he had been battling dementia. He was diagnosed with the virus on March 25.
David Edwards (Former college basketball)
The former Texas A&M guard passed away on March 18 from complications that arose from the cornavirus. His former teammate, Charles Henderson, took to Facebook to mourn the loss of his friend.
Orlando McDaniel (Former track and field)
The former LSU track and field star, who also was a football wide reciever, passed away on March 29 from COVID-19 complications. He was 59-years-old.
Lee Green (Former college basketball)
Green, 49, a former St. John’s basketball standout, passed away from complications of the virus on March 23. He was also a retired police officer in Brooklyn.
Wayne Reese Sr. (High school coach)
The legendary New Orleans high school football coach was on a ventilator for several days after being admitted to a hospital with COVID-19. A head coach for 41 years - former NFL star Marshall Faulk is among the players he coached - Reese, 74, died April 2.
Pearson Jordan (Former track and field)
Along with McDaniel, Pearson Jordan was another former LSU track star who succumbed to the virus in March.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 3:00 PM with the headline "What do athletes say about their coronavirus battle? Von Miller is the latest to share."