Chargers Coach Anthony Lynn Reveals He Had Coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – In the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks" Tuesday night, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn revealed that he contracted COVID-19 during the offseason.

In the first few minutes of the episode, the 51-year-old coach disclosed to his players during a conference call that he had previously been diagnosed with the disease.

"I can't promise you, you're not gonna get infected, I got infected," Lynn said.

Lynn, who is beginning his fourth year as head coach of the Chargers, did not go into detail on his diagnosis, but warned his players to take it seriously.

"I've talked to some people who say they're sick of this virus. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Let me tell you something, you ain't promised next year, you ain't promised tomorrow.

"What I want to do is I wanna limit your exposures. And then when the whistle blows, let's go kick somebody's a-- and play some football. One team will do this better than the other 31, trust me, it might as well be us. Be ready for chaos, embrace it."

The Chargers are slated to kick off their season Sept. 13 on the road against the Bengals. They are one of only three teams who did not have any players opt out of the upcoming season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their first home game in the new $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which they will share with the Rams, is scheduled for Sept. 20. No fans will be in attendance.

"Fellas, this year is not like any other year we've had in the NFL," Lynn says in the episode. "It's gonna be chaos, it's gonna be change, and it's gonna come every single day."