Demarcus Robinson’s close call with a team barber looks like it won’t keep him out of the Super Bowl .
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver had been placed on the NFL’s COVID/reserve list earlier in the week after a barber brought in by the Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19, reportedly learning the news while he was in the middle of a haircut. Robinson had been deemed a close contact and was placed on the reserve list, but Yahoo Sports reported on Friday that he had been cleared to return to practice.
Robinson has been one of the most steady receivers in an explosive offense, ranking second among receivers in offensive snaps. He caught 45 passes for 466 yards with three touchdowns this season. He has only one catch for 14 yards in the postseason, not receiving any targets in the win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game.
Center Daniel Kilgore was also placed on the reserve list after the incident, but the report noted that he would be eligible to return to practice on Saturday as long as he continues to test negative. Kilgore is expected to take on an important role in the Super Bowl, as the Chiefs are short-handed at the offensive line after injuries to their two starting tackles, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.
Robinson could assume a larger role as well, given that fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins was limited throughout the week while nursing a calf injury. As CBS Sports reported, he was listed as questionable but appeared to be moving in the right direction on Friday as he logged his first full practice since Week 16.
The situation was potentially disastrous for the Chiefs, as the team had hired the man to cut hair for approximately 20 players. As NFL.com reported, he had tested negative for five consecutive days before he was allowed to enter the team’s facilities, but a test taken on Saturday came back positive on Sunday.
The unnamed man reportedly learned his status before he could work with any more players beyond the two determined to be close contacts.
“He was wearing double PPE and was still cutting Kilgore’s hair — the first in a line of players waiting for haircuts — when the positive result came back,” the outlet wrote. “The barber was immediately removed; in a follow-up interview with NFL officials, the barber said he’d also cut Robinson’s hair the previous day away from the facility.”