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The government is shut down, and in the spirit of frenzy, officials are closing up things that make it bigger than what it should be. Now the Philadelphia Eagles are victims to this panic. According to the media, there is an outbreak in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ locker room, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have barred their doors, so asking them would be no help. But when is it ever?
The visiting team, Chip Kelly’s midnight green squad, is going there as this is being typed, into a zone where Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA, has been discovered. It has caused a massive panic and caused many to debate if the game scheduled on Sunday should be canceled.
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Luckily, the NFL is on it and the game will be played as scheduled, so far. After all, they discovered that lineman Carl Nick’s infection had returned Wednesday, and that is plenty of time to fumigate for an infectious disease and prepare for a game on Sunday. I hope you note the dripping sarcasm.
They also announced that place kicker Lawrence Tines has it, and cornerback Jonathan Banks. This is a total of three known players for the Buccaneers that has this feisty staph infection.
Normally, being a natural skeptic, I would blow it off and say let’s play some football. Or in my case, let’s watch some football and be careful not to get the roof of my mouth stabbed with the sharp edges of the Doritos. I hardly trust the media upon first glance.
But lately, I have not supported any of the moves that Roger Goddell has made, and I think this may be another case where I have to go against him. After all, if the game is canceled, think of all the revenue that would be lost, and the incredible effort for the front office to re-schedule. It would not look good for the NFL.
Some outside specialists are on the job to see if the environment is safe. Quite frankly, I hope they find something. There has to a rational explanation why the Bucs have been playing like they have.
