The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a popular pick in the NFC South division this year thanks to a remodeling of their secondary, but they need to get a growing staph infection issue under control before it derails their preseason.
Pro Bowl offensive lineman Carl Nicks and kicker Lawrence Tynes have been hit with MRSA, a bacteria that combats penicillin-like treatments. Both Nicks and Tynes' infections were in their toes.
"We had a company come in and nuke the building a week ago after the cultures taken from Nicks and Tynes confirmed it was MRSA," said Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik. "It was a precautionary move, but we didn't want to fool with it. Our owners spare no expense. We had the facility treated, and the league office approved of our actions."
Nicks and Tynes weren't the only Bucs with some medical problems in the locker room. Head athletic trainer Todd Toriscelli had a knee operation over the offseason that became infected, although he is not believed to have contracted MRSA.
According to reports the team has taken steps to cleanse the whole locker room in an effort to remove the MRSA entirely. Dominik released a statement that read:
"Our primary concern is always the health and safety of our players and staff. Our players were informed of the situation and we sought the advice of experts, including the NFL's medical advisor, who provided counsel and approved of our comprehensive measures including the treatment of our practice facility." Yahoo! Sports reports that the Bucs' facilities will undergo another sweep over the weekend.
Nicks is out indefinitely while he battles the virus, and the team moved to sign Rian Lindell, who had been cut by the Buffalo Bills this week, to potentially kick in Tynes' place if he's not ready to go in time for the start of the season.
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