Lions reinstate QB Stafford after 'false-positive' test

Stafford, 32, was the second NFL quarterback to be reinstated Tuesday because of a false positive test following the Jacksonville Jaguars' Gardner Minshew II. Stafford played just eight games last season after suffering a back injury on the final drive of Detroit's 31-24 loss to Oakland on Nov. 3.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford did not test positive for COVID-19 after all and was placed back on the active roster Tuesday. The veteran was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, but after further testing the team was confident he had received a false-positive result.

According to the Lions, Stafford had tested negative twice before an apparent positive COVID-19 test. He then had three more tests after the positive and all three were negative. "To be clear, Matthew does NOT have COVID-19 and never has had COVID-19 and the test in question was a False-Positive," the team said in a statement.

In addition, all of Stafford's family members were subject to COVID-19 testing and all results came back negative. Stafford, 32, was the second NFL quarterback to be reinstated Tuesday because of a false positive test following the Jacksonville Jaguars' Gardner Minshew II.

Stafford played just eight games last season after suffering a back injury on the final drive of Detroit's 31-24 loss to Oakland on Nov. 3. He went on injured reserve on Dec. 17, snapping a streak of 136 straight regular-season starts. He passed for 2,499 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions before the injury.

Stafford has passed for 41,025 yards with 256 touchdowns and 134 interceptions in 11 seasons since Detroit selected him with the top overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. --Field Level Media

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