Pistons' Casey: Wood upset by coronavirus test result going public
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Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey says Christian Wood's positive test result for the novel coronavirus was made public against the forward's wishes.
"That's why we were so mystified when it leaked out,'' Casey told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan. "Christian was upset his name got out there. He didn't release it. And the worst part was it got out before Christian even had a chance to tell his mom.
"I was very unhappy about that," he continued. "I told our staff, 'This is unprofessional. This can't happen again.' It was so unfair to our player.''
Multiple teams have announced that they have had players test positive for the coronavirus while protecting their identities. The Los Angeles Lakers announced March 19 that two of their players received positive test results but their names have not been revealed.
Some players have chosen to go public with their results. After the Boston Celtics announced one member of their squad tested positive, Marcus Smart confirmed he was the player in question.
Casey says the Pistons have checked in often with Wood following his diagnosis.
"He's a young guy, living alone, so we wanted to stay engaged with him,'' Casey said. "From what I can tell, he spent most of his time playing video games.''
Wood has now fully recovered from the virus, his agent said Wednesday. He has reportedly also since received a negative test result. No other Pistons player tested positive.