Bengals Chaplain LaMorris Crawford Recovering After Coronavirus Diagnosis

LaMorris Crawford, the Cincinnati Bengals' team chaplain, said he thought he was "going to die" after contracting the coronavirus in March and experiencing extreme symptoms. 

Crawford told Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer he started feeling sick on March 17, and three days later he found himself lying on his bathroom floor in dire shape.

"I literally thought I was going to die. I couldn't move," he said. "I had a loss of smell, high fever, chills, loss of taste and fatigue."

Crawford went to the hospital twice over the next four days and later received a positive test result for COVID-19, per Dragon.

The Bengals staff member told the Enquirer he's still dealing with minor symptoms but is nearing a complete recovery. He doesn't know how he became infected since he was following all of the suggested guidelines, including frequent hand washing.

Crawford, 40, explained to Dragon why he decided to come forward with his story:

"I think it's socially responsible to recognize that my opinion affects other people...Hopefully it'll kick in that it's not just about me. Each of us hold a responsibility in the community to be wise and adhere to what the government is saying. It's not about you, it's about us...We are also taught in the Bible to submit and honoring government authority. With social media and social conferencing, it would be the wise thing to still teach and preach the message, but let's do it in a wise way to where we think about others. This virus is so sneaky that there's no point in taking a chance of passing it, especially in a church setting."

The NFL ordered the closure of all team facilities March 24 because of the coronavirus. Offseason team activities have been delayed indefinitely, and the 2020 draft, which was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, has been moved to a virtual format beginning April 23.

Crawford told Dragon he expects to return to the Bengals for next season and he's "optimistic" football will return in time for training camp.

---

Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.