Bills TE Tommy Sweeney out for season with coronavirus-related heart issue

Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney won't play this NFL season. His future in the league beyond the campaign is unknown as of Thanksgiving week. 

The Bills confirmed on Monday that Sweeney has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after a cardiologist discovered the 25-year-old is dealing with myocarditis, a heart condition that has been linked with COVID-19 infections. 

As noted by ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques and The Buffalo News, Sweeney has been sidelined throughout the year because of an injury, and he then went on the reserve/COVID-19 list in October after he was deemed a "high-risk close contact" of tight end Dawson Knox, who tested positive. 

Sweeney ultimately tested positive for the virus but was hoping to return to the field, potentially for this coming Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

“I saw him today, he’s in good spirits,” coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Monday when speaking of Sweeney. “He’s had a rough year, with the injury, COVID and residual piece of the COVID, unfortunately. We know he’s a good football player and a guy that we believe in and can’t wait to get him back on the field when he can in the offseason.”

Sweeney is the first NFL player known to have been diagnosed with this heart issue since the pandemic first altered the league calendar in the spring. Boston Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez tested positive for the coronavirus and was shut down for the abbreviated MLB season due to myocarditis before he pitched an official inning.