After guiding the Cleveland Browns to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance in 18 years, head coach Kevin Stefanski will not be able to join the team when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 along with two players and coaches.
In his first interview with reporters since the news, Stefanski said that while he is disappointed that he cannot be a part of the game, per NBC Sports, he nevertheless believes that his absence will be overcome by the Browns because of his players’ familiarity with his system.
The 38-year old Stefanski also said that he is feeling fine, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and also announced that there have been no new positive cases and no high-risk contacts identified with the recent positives in the team.
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski says, “I’m good, I’ll be fine” despite being out vs. #Steelers due to COVID-19. He does announce there were no high-risk close contacts with the recent positives and no new positives today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2021
Stefanski has named special teams coach Mike Priefer as the head coach for the game against the Steelers, with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt taking his usual place as the Browns’ offensive play-caller.
What is unclear so far is whether Stefanski can communicate to his players or coaching staff on the day of the game, and he has not asked the NFL for an exception. This is something which has reportedly been a point of contention around the league, per ESPN’s Chris Mortenson, with some calling for an easing of restrictions to allow Stefanski to be able to coach.
This is point of contention expressed by football people who believe an exemption to the restrictions on in-game electronic communication should be eased to allow for Stefanski to “do his job” under this circumstance.
Not going to happen, though. https://t.co/Zj27xAekLM— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 6, 2021
Aside from Stefanski, left guard Joel Bitonio, the Browns' longest-tenured player, and wide receiver Khadarel Hodge will also miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19.
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