Riveron missed Week 1 because he was home in Miami battling the coronavirus. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NFL senior VP of officiating Al Riveron missed Week 1 due to coronavirus

The NFL's senior vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, was not in the league's replay office last week for the beginning of the season, and now we know why.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Riveron missed Week 1 because he was home in Miami battling the coronavirus. Riveron will return to the command center on Sunday for Week 2 and is "feeling great," Schefter adds. 

As of September, Riveron is the highest-profile NFL employee who has missed a game due to the coronavirus. While he was out last week, the NFL's vice president of instant replay, Russell Yurk, stepped into Riveron's role. 

Schefter reports that most team owners, head coaches and general managers don't know who is in the league's command center. Last Sunday, they didn't know that some of their fates were being determined by Yurk.

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