OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Baltimore Ravens recipient Dez Bryant announced he tested negative for COVID-19 again Thursday, two days after a positive test ruled him out shortly before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Bryant tested positive against his former team just half an hour before kick-off on Tuesday after his tests were inconclusive that morning. Bryant, who has not yet been put on the reserve / COVID-19 list by the Ravens, said on Twitter Thursday that it could have been a false positive.
“I’ve tested negative for Covid back to back and I’m not thrilled about it,” Bryant wrote.
I have tested negative for Covid back to back and am not thrilled with it
– Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) December 10, 2020
Bryant wasn’t in training on Thursday, the first of the week.
Raven’s trainer, John Harbaugh, spoke to reporters in front of Bryant’s Post on Twitter Thursday.
“He’s doing as well as you’d expect,” Harbaugh said of Bryant. “He’s the guy who cares. He sacrificed a lot to get out of the house and leave the family behind. He’s a family man and has kids. I think he’s pretty hurt. He’s not mad at anyone. But only the circumstances, I think he’s a little baffled, surprised that it came up. I think he’s trying to work his way through. “
If Bryant does not need to be quarantined for 10 days, he will be available to play Monday night at the Cleveland Browns.
On Tuesday, Bryant’s test came back inconclusive from that morning around 7 p.m., about an hour before the Ravens Cowboys game started. The test was repeated and still inconclusive came back. In the meantime, Bryant did a rapid PCR test, which came back positive around 7:30 p.m. He was then excluded from the game with an illness.
About 10 minutes after the positive test, Bryant insisted it was incorrect.
“The crazy thing is, I have the same damn routine,” Bryant wrote on Twitter Tuesday night. “That is — makes no sense to me.”
Bryant was only the second Pro Bowl wide receiver to return to the NFL after missing two seasons. He started on the training team before joining the active squad on November 28. In three games, Bryant has four catches for 28 yards.
On Tuesday night, Bryants’ eagerly awaited first game against the Cowboys. From 2010 to 2017, he was a three-time Pro Bowl player for Dallas and set a franchise record with 73 touchdown catches.
After testing positive, Bryant wrote on Twitter that he would no longer play this season before subsequently confirming that he would return.
“I could never speak for another person because the Twitter stuff and all that would have to be asked,” said Harbaugh. “I don’t have the answers. But that’s exactly what we’d be planning. He’s certainly an option. He’s part of our team. And I was really happy with his progress with the way he trained.
“I don’t think it’s hard to see why it would be so difficult emotionally, especially when he’s in his career. I think we could all safely put ourselves in his shoes. I’m very personable and understanding of it. Ultimately, people make decisions for themselves and they have to do that. “