Undisclosed number of Blue Bombers test positive for COVID-19 after Grey Cup

Photo courtesy: Alex Lupul/AlexLupul.com

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have reportedly had members of their organization test positive for COVID-19 following their Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“We have been following public health guidelines and their direction,” a team spokesperson told CTV’s Daniel Halmarson. “We won’t be offering any further comment.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea revealed during the season that 99 percent of Winnipeg’s tier one personnel were vaccinated against COVID-19. Unvaccinated players were ineligible to fly to Hamilton for the Grey Cup by virtue of the federal government’s travel regulations, which meant offensive lineman Asotui Eli didn’t make the trip.

The Blue Bombers did not have any players enter COVID-19 protocol throughout the 2021 season, though a handful of other teams did including Toronto and Calgary. The only team to experience an outbreak of the virus was the Edmonton Elks, which resulted in the postponement of one game.

The CFL held the Grey Cup on Sunday, Dec. 12 at Tim Hortons Field mere days before the Omicron variant caused cases to surge in Canada and in many countries around the globe.

Winnipeg held a Grey Cup celebration three days later at IG Field, forgoing the traditional parade due to the ongoing pandemic.