Less than a week removed from when he said he had tested positive for new coronavirus, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday in an interview with WWL radio that he had been "cleared" and was "doing well."
"I'm doing well. I was cleared yesterday," Payton said, via ESPN. "It's been quite a process. You spend a lot of time trying to learn as much as you can about it. We're certainly seeing it on the news 24/7.
"So I've been fortunate. You stay inside like everyone's doing, and you find ways to pass the time. We had a competition committee meeting the other day on teleconference. But I'm feeling a lot better. And unfortunately, my appetite didn't dissipate at all during that time. You know, you watch a lot of Netflix, then you go on to Twitter, and you see everyone else is watching the same shows."
On March 19, Payton became the first known person in the NFL to test positive for COVID-19, but subsequently texted NFL Newtork's Steve Wyche that was "really good, considering."
As of Wednesday, he says he has been cleared and fortunate, while even turning his thoughts back to football and the Saints going forward, including Taysom Hill being the No. 2 quarterback behind Drew Brees when the 2020 season gets going.
Nonetheless, Payton continued to advocate for following the proper procedures established by the government and health officials in hoping to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're not invincible, and every one of us certainly can catch this thing. Shoot, we've got politicians, athletes -- you name it, they've caught it. Prince Charles caught it, right? So it doesn't matter if you live in a castle or you live in an apartment."