Von Miller has been one of the faces of the NFL for years. After recently testing positive for COVID-19, he's also determined to lead the charge in practicing social distancing.
The Denver Broncos linebacker tested positive earlier this week and quickly went public with the result as a PSA for the football community and beyond. He released a short video Friday reiterating the need to exercise caution amid the worldwide pandemic.
"I appreciate all the well-wishes and all the love from Broncos country," Miller said. "I want to urge you guys to stay safe, stay inside, practice social distancing and take this thing serious because it is definitely for real. I know if I can be affected with this, then I know that anybody can.
"I just want to urge everybody to stay safe."
The 31-year-old Miller also appeared on NBC's Today show to share that he's "feeling better" and shed light on his situation.
"It all started with just a simple cough and then it got worse," he said. "I also have asthma and my girlfriend, she was telling me that I wasn't sounding normal and I should try my nebulizer, so I did. I tried the nebulizer, which I do before football games and practices regularly. But this time was different. It really didn't work like it should I waited another day. The cough didn't go away and my assistant, she said, 'Why don't you just go get tested? There's no harm in getting tested.' I went down the street, went and got tested. Two days later, my doctor called me and said that I had a positive result for COVID-19. ...
"I was shocked. We've been taking this seriously since day one. I started in San Francisco, training where I normally train, and San Francisco was one of the first cities to have a stay-at-home order. Right when, San Francisco had a stay-at-home order, we made the decision to come back to Denver. I've been here in Denver for four weeks now and within that four weeks, I've probably left the house four times. With all of those times, I never got out of the car, just to drive to pick up food and come back home. So I've been taking it serious, staying at home. Of course, you know I have people come in and out, like workers, maids, people that come do the plumbing, just everyday stuff. But it was really nothing crazy, got a cough and here we are today."
Miller became the second known NFL player to test positive, after the Los Angeles Rams confirmed Wednesday that center Brian Allen had contracted the virus.
