The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are enduring a miserable season right now. And their misery isn't only contained to the football field, where they are 0-4 so far on the year.
For the last month or so, the team has also been battling a staph infection outbreak that has invaded their team facility. Back in August, two Tampa players—guard Carl Nicks (pictured above on the right) and kicker Lawrence Tynes—were diagnosed with MRSA, a very serious infection that is resistant to antibiotics. And now, a third Bucs player, who has not yet been identified, has also been diagnosed with MRSA. Additionally, Banks was also just diagnosed with a recurrence of MRSA yesterday.
And the Bucs' MRSA problem doesn't stop there. Because MRSA is so serious—and because it's unclear whether or not the Bucs have been able to contain it in their facility—the NFLPA is thinking about asking the Philadelphia Eagles and the Bucs not to play on Sunday afternoon:
NFLPA tells @wingoz that, depending on what MRSA containment report says, the NFLPA could advise Bucs-Eagles not to play this weekend.
We wouldn't bank on the game being cancelled, especially this late in the ballgame. But who knows? MRSA is no joke. And to avoid allowing it to spread even further than it already has, the NFL may decide to pull the plug on the game or reschedule it until the conditions in Tampa are safer. We'll just have to wait and see.
UPDATE:
The third Bucs player to be diagnosed with MRSA is reportedly cornerback Johnthan Banks.
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[via Adam Schefter]
