Conor McKenna's fourth and latest coronavirus test has returned a negative result, according to reports in Australia this morning.
The Tyrone defender became the first player to test positive for COVID-19 following the AFL's resumption on Saturday, which led to Sunday's game between his club Essendon and Melbourne being postponed indefinitely.
McKenna's weekend result was a "low-level positive" with the player not reporting any symptoms of the virus and 7News claim that Essendon are now asking Victoria Public Health to investigate if it was actually a false positive.
Despite today's negative test, the defender is still expected to remain in self-isolation until July the 4th. All of his Bombers teammates have also tested negative but James Stewart has isolated after it was determined he was a close contact of McKenna.
It's been reported that McKenna had breached restrictions and had been criticised in the aftermath of the positive result, with broadcaster Ray Hadley calling for McKenna to be "suspended indefinitely".
"He went to a home inspection with his partner – that was barred," he began. "He visited friends – that was barred! So, to my way of thinking this McKenna typifies the attitude of many Victorians; the rules don’t apply to me, hence we have what we have now!
"As a result of McKenna’s actions, the AFL season is on tenterhooks because of this bloke, six of his teammates can’t play and Essendon are a basket case.
"He should be suspended indefinitely for an act of stupidity that could cost the AFL hundreds of millions of dollars, let alone the players!
"The AFL will be a basket case because of the stupidity of one person."
"This is moving at a rapid pace here...it's interesting that he's been hung out to dry when he may have done nothing wrong at all," Nicholas Walsh of the AFL Coaches Association said on this morning's OTB AM.
"There's been so much negative media and a couple of radio stations in Sydney were claiming that he should never play again and that he'd brought down the competition as well.
"I'm not sure how people just paused to look after how Conor was doing himself. Obviously it was a very tough time for him, none of us would like to be diagnosed with COVID-19, it would be a gut wrenching thing to be told you have, especially when he had travelled overseas.
"It was claimed that he's broken the rules but that hasn't been proven yet. All he has claimed is that he visited an open house for inspection, which is a bit murky in terms of the AFL protocols, and that he visited his ex host family.
"In AFL rules you're allowed visit immediate family but Conor's so close to that former host family that they're like his second family away from home, they're not blood but they're very very close to him.
"It was speculated in the media today that his test could return as a false positive, which is essentially is what's just happened."
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