Giants take extreme measures in face of COVID-19 ‘lab irregularity’

NEW YORK — A second straight day of numerous false positive COVID-19 tests prompted the Giants to push Thursday’s meetings virtual and to temporarily drop the use of the rapid Mesa test administered by BioReference Laboratories.

Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said the league believes a “lab irregularity” was responsible for 12 potential false positives Tuesday and “a good amount” more on Thursday, in Joe Judge’s words.

Running backs coach Burton Burns was the only confirmed positive from Wednesday’s PCR tests who will definitely miss Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Rookie Gary Brightwell joined fellow running back Saquon Barkley and free safety Xavier McKinney on the COVID-19 reserve list Thursday. But left guard Matt Skura was back on the field after a false alarm on Wednesday.

There were even players and coaches who tested positive on Thursday morning, were sent home, then re-tested negative, allowing them to report for practice in the afternoon.

“This has been, obviously, a different type of day,” Judge said.

Sills told NFL Network that the league is “working very closely with the Giants” to address the “testing irregularity” at Bio-Reference Laboratories.

Bio-Reference Laboratories brought two mobile testing van stations to East Rutherford, N.J., on Thursday and parked them in front of the Giants’ COVID-19 testing trailer.

The purpose was to increase testing capacity and to administer PCR tests, rather than the rapid Mesa test. The results of PCR tests take longer to come back, but they are more accurate than the rapid test on average and can help the Giants sort out real positives from false ones.

The Giants canceled in-facility meetings for players, closed their office to non-football staff and pushed all media interviews virtual for the day.

And Judge said he told his Giants (2-6) there will be no excuses come Sunday when the Raiders (5-2) visit MetLife Stadium: they have to be ready for anything.

“I’ve told the coaches and players that everyone’s got to be ready,” Judge said. “I’ve told the coaches we could get to Sunday morning and they could tell us we lost a dozen people. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Have the next guy ready to go. Have a game plan ready that includes changing personnel, changing scheme. Whatever we have to do, be very fluid in this.”

Clarifying who is available could be tricky, and it’s possible some players could be out Sunday due to the testing irregularities or actual positive tests.

Barkley and McKinney were still in the COVID-19 protocol on Thursday, for example, because they tested positive on two rapid Mesa tests on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both players’ PCR tests came back negative on Wednesday, but they were required to take another PCR on Thursday and maybe a third on Friday to confirm a false positive.

Skura, on the other hand, had two different rapid Mesa test results: a positive on Tuesday and a negative on Wednesday. So once Skura’s PCR tests came back negative on Wednesday and Thursday, he was allowed to return to the practice field.

Barkley is still hobbled by a left ankle injury that should keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Raiders. McKinney is unvaccinated, which means one positive PCR result would rule him out against Las Vegas.

But the Giants were preparing for all scenarios and pressing on.

Julian Love projects for a heavier load at safety if McKinney is out. J.R. Reed could enter the rotation after last week’s signing off the L.A. Rams’ practice squad.

Kenny Golladay (knee) was a sight for sore eyes, returning to practice for the first time since his Oct. 10 injury in Dallas.

The team activated linebacker Benardrick McKinney as a COVID-19 replacement on Thursday, and they re-signed corner Steven Park to the practice squad.

The full injury report, meanwhile, reinforced the odds stacked against Judge’s team in their final game before the Week 10 bye:

Did not practice: Barkley (ankle/COVID), WR Sterling Shepard (quad), FS Xavier McKinney (COVID), RB Gary Brightwell (COVID), edge Lorenzo Carter (ankle), safety Nate Ebner (ankle), Dante Pettis (shoulder), Kyle Rudolph (personal).

Limited: Golladay (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (thumb), WR John Ross (quad), TE Kaden Smith (knee).

The team also said practice squad offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson was absent due to a non-COVID-19-related illness. It is the second time in three weeks Wilson has been out with such an illness.