Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll tests positive for COVID-19

RENTON – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the team announced Monday.

A statement from the team also said that Carroll is “fully vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms, while remaining at home.”

The statement further said that Carroll “remains in contact with the coaching staff and will participate in team meetings virtually until he returns to the facility.”

After having strict protocols for testing, social distancing and contact tracing the last two seasons, the NFL opened camps this year with no protocols.

However, according to a tweet from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network – the league’s official media arm – the league informed teams in June that anyone who tests positive still must isolate for five days, consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

It was not immediately clear how long Carroll, who is the oldest head coach in the NFL and turns 71 in September, would be out.

The Seahawks said that officially no one person is taking over Carroll’s duties in practices he can’t attend. But associate head coach Carl Smith appeared to take on what are generally Carroll’s responsibilities during practice on Monday, specifically talking to the team afterward and leading the team drills, such as signaling first downs.

Smith has the longest association with Carroll of anyone on staff – the two first worked together at North Carolina State in 1982. He was Seattle’s QBs coach from 2011-17 and then associate head coach in 2018 before leaving for Houston for two seasons and then returning to Seattle last year as associate head coach.