NFL’s Detroit Lions will play without their coach because of coronavirus
By Mark Maske and Matt Bonesteel
Darrell Bevell, the interim head coach of the Detroit Lions, will miss Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Detroit because of coronavirus-related issues.
He becomes the first NFL head coach to miss a game this season because of the league’s coronavirus protocols. Bevell was classified as a high-risk close contact and, as the protocols mandate, placed on a five-day quarantine, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The Lions announced that wide receivers coach Robert Prince will serve as the head coach for Saturday’s game. He becomes, in effect, the interim interim head coach, since Bevell had already replaced the fired Matt Patricia. Bevell, formerly offensive coordinator, said that defensive coordinator Cory Undlin and all the team’s defensive position coaches are ineligible to coach Saturday under the protocols.