Matthew Stafford's false-positive, which sent the quarterback briefly to the reserve/COVID-19 list, led to a quick change in testing protocols by the NFL.
Stafford said during a video conference Tuesday that he's glad the league attempted to correct the false-positive issue immediately.
"This is just totally unknown times for all of us," Stafford said. "The league, the players, coaches, the organization as a whole. Everything is new, and it's unknown. I know everybody is doing the best that they possibly can. I'm glad it happened to me at this point, and the league is doing what they can to try and change it and make sure this doesn't happen again.
"But I'm sure there is going to be another problem down the road at some point that we're going to have to figure out when we get there. That's the way this has been for the past six months. We've all been living it. Whether it's the league trying to test thousands of players or just trying to go out and get our groceries. We understand that things are going to change and we're going to have to adapt. But I'm just glad I got settled, glad it's over with. I'm just happy to be in the building hanging out with the guys, getting a little bit of normalcy back when it comes to football."
Stafford noted that there was some fear when he initially tested positive for COVID-19, given how much he's been around his children, including a newborn. The 32-year-old was relieved when everyone in his family tested negative, and it was deemed he'd had a false-positive.
"It can happen to anybody, you can be as careful as you want to be and then sometimes it just happens," Stafford said of potentially catching the virus. "Just happy that at this point everybody, to my knowledge, in my family and myself are negative and healthy."
Stafford's false-positive situation underscores the unusual nature the 2020 season has taken and will take in the months to come. As the veteran noted, there will be other obstacles to tackle down the road. How the league, players, coaches and staffs adjust on the fly to those difficulties will determine their successes this season.
