The New York Giants, a few days removed from a shutout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, face the daunting task of traveling to Dallas to play the Cowboys, fresh off a road-dog win over the defending Super Bowl champions.
The team isn’t just game-planning to stop DeMarco Murray. They’re learning about how to prevent Ebola, which has effected three in the Dallas area.
“Our athletic trainers and team physicians have been briefed on the scope of the Ebola virus disease,” Giants communications vice president Pat Hanlon told the New York Daily News. “We have distributed a fact sheet to our employees and distributed similar information to our players electronically this morning.”
The Giants players quoted by the Daily News, including quarterback Eli Manning, seem unfazed. Defensive back Antrel Rolle offered a measured response to the Ebola scare: “Can’t worry about things you can’t control.”
The Duke University Medical Center has sent a primer on the disease to the 32 NFL teams.
“At this point we do not advise screening of players or staff to make sure that they have not had close contact with anyone who traveled to or from areas where Ebola is now endemic,” the Duke memo reads. “We do recommend that medical personnel educate their players and staff about the need to inform club medical personnel in the unlikely event that they actually have such contact.”