Cameraman Who Filmed Inside Jazz Locker Room Diagnosed with COVID-19, in a Coma

A cameraman who filmed inside the Utah Jazz locker room after a March 7 game against the Detroit Pistons is in a coma after being diagnosed with the coronavirus. 

Per Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill and Dan Wetzel, a friend of the man, who worked as part of the broadcast crew at Little Caesars Arena, said he began to feel ill "about a week after the game" and went to a hospital on March 18. 

Grov Tigue, one of the man's friends, told Yahoo Sports:

"He sent me a text saying, 'Oh [expletive], they put me in an exam room with masks.' At 11:11, he sent another one saying, 'They say my oxygen level is low. They want to get it to a higher level.' But he didn't have a diagnosis yet. 

"Thursday I texted him about the [Darius] Slay trade [involving the Detroit Lions] and he replied at 1:18 on Thursday, 'Still in the hospital.' Saturday I hit him at 6:47 a.m. Then he replied at 3:48 p.m. He said, 'I'll be out of touch for a day or so.' Then I found out they were putting him into a coma.

"[Doctors] couldn't get his oxygen levels right. They pulled him out of the coma yesterday but put him back in."

Goodwill and Wetzel noted it's unknown when or how the man contracted the coronavirus. 

The Jazz-Pistons game was played four days before the NBA suspended the regular season amid concerns about the virus. Detroit played two more games after the Jazz contest, against the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. 

Jazz All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, as well as Pistons forward Christian Wood, are among a group of 14 players and personnel from seven NBA teams to have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Goodwill and Wetzel added that games not broadcast nationally will typically be filmed by a crew connected to the home team, with footage ranging from recording the play-by-play and color analyst on the court during pregame to player and coach reactions during games to use on the post-game show.