TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Tuesday.
Arians is isolating at home. He told ESPN he is OK and is dealing with mild symptoms, mainly a cough.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning but have only experienced mild symptoms to this point,” Arians said in a statement issued by the team.
Assistant head coach and run game coordinator Harold Goodwin will handle Arians’ duties on an interim basis.
“I have complete confidence in him and the rest of our coaching staff to prepare the team for this week’s game against the Jets,” Arians said in his statement. “I look forward to rejoining the team and being back in the facility as soon as I can test back in.”
Arians, 69, has had multiple health issues in his career, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2007, a skin cancer diagnosis in 2013 and renal cell carcinoma that required part of his kidney to be removed in 2017. He was required to undergo a physical to ensure he was healthy enough to coach the Buccaneers before accepting the job in 2019 and has not had any documented health concerns while in Tampa.
Arians is the second member of the Bucs’ coaching staff to test positive this week. On Monday, wide receivers coach Kevin Garver tested positive, as did wide receiver Mike Evans.
Goodwin has worked with Arians since 2007, when he was the offensive line coach and quality control coordinator when Arians was offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went with Arians to the Indianapolis Colts, where he served as offensive line coach when Arians was offensive coordinator and interim head coach. He was then Arians’ offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017.
On Tuesday, the Bucs announced that cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean would be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, bringing the total for Buccaneers players and coaches to seven, as last week defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches and kick returner Jaelon Darden were placed on the list.