Former University of Hawaii football player John Ursua was back practicing with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday after it was determined he had received a false-positive result on a coronavirus test administered on Saturday.
“I’m cleared,” said Ursua, who is entering his second season as a Seahawks’ receiver. “I’m all good. I tested negative the past three days.”
Ursua was placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list after being notified of a positive test on Saturday. It was a stunning diagnosis for Ursua, who had tested negative 10 times previously. The past two weeks, the Seahawks have been sequestered in a Renton, Wash., hotel, with dedicated floors for the team and single rooms for each player.
Ursua said he followed team guidelines of wearing a mask, not using the hotel restaurant, and leaving the hotel only to go to the Seahawks’ training facility.
When told of Saturday’s “positive” result, Ursua thought, “this can’t be right. I had 10 straight negative testings,. I’ve been around all the guys. I’ve been to practice, workouts … and I was the only one who tested positive? I didn’t think that could be accurate.”
Two players also had been placed in quarantine because they were believed to have had the most contact with Ursua. Those players also were declared healthy and were allowed to rejoin practice Tuesday.
“When I went back to the facilities today, it was that unsure game of ‘does this guy have it or not?’ ” Ursua said. “I tried to keep myself distant and stay 6 feet apart. At the same time, I wanted to act normal because I don’t have any symptoms and I don’t have (the virus). I’m all good. I think (other people’s doubts will) pass quickly.”
Ursua participated in team workouts on Tuesday, including special-team drills.
Of the false positive, Ursua said, “crazy. You can mess with someone’s head.”