College athletes who play contact sports are more than twice as likely to carry the deadly superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylocuccus aureus (MRSA) than peers who play non-contact sports, according to a recently released study by researchers at Vanderbilt University.
Football, soccer and other contact sport athletes were found to have MRSA on their bodies, usually in their noses and throats, even if they didn’t show signs of infection. As MRSA carriers, they are at higher risk for infection and more likely to spread MRSA, which can cause serious and even fatal infections.
“This study shows that even outside of a full scale outbreak, when athletes are healthy and there are no infections, there are still a substantial number of them who are colonized with these potentially harmful bacteria,” said lead study author Natalia Jimenez-Truque, Ph.D., research instructor in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
“Sports teams can decrease the spread of MRSA by encouraging good hygiene in their athletes, including frequent hand washing and avoiding sharing towels and personal items such as soap and razors,” she said.
But sometimes even that may not work.
Last year, Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Lawrence Tynes was diagnosed with MRSA. He was ultimately placed on the non-football injury list, which prevented him from collecting service time and several benefits. Two more players on the Bucs were eventually diagnosed with MRSA.
The problem became so severe that the Washington Redskins questioned Bucs officials before an Aug. 29, 2013 preseason game between the two teams at Raymond James Stadium, according to a report in the Washington Post. Later that fall, an Oct. 13 game between the Bucs and the Philadelphia Eagles was reportedly considered for postponement. After the Bucs visited the Georgia Dome to play the Atlanta Falcons, photographs were circulated of a cleaning crew in full hazmat suits, disinfecting the visitors’ locker room, according to the paper.
It can be argued that the MRSA outbreak at Tampa costs the franchise millions of dollars.
Tynes is no longer with the club. However, the NFL Players Association has filed a grievance on his behalf, which at press time is still outstanding. “The union was sufficiently concerned about the varying standards across different teams and the incidents not just in Tampa Bay but other teams in recent years,” said George Atallah, the union’s assistant executive director of external affairs, told the Post. “To the league’s credit, they have been working with us.” Tynes, through the union, is seeking his full salary
One of the other two players, offensive lineman Carl Nicks (a former Pro Bowl player), agreed to an injury settlement with the Bucs for a reported $3 million. “I’d like to thank the Buccaneers organization for working with me as I have attempted to get myself back on the football field,” Nicks said in a statement. “However, after careful consideration, I have made the decision to step away from the game. This was by no means an easy decision, but I believe that it is what is best for me and my family as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
The stakes can be high for any professional team, or athletic department.
Earlier this year, a jury awarded a Fairfield, Conn. Woman, who contracted MRSA while she was admitted to a hospital, $9.2 million. The jury concluded the “hospital’s malpractice resulted” in the plaintiff contracting MRSA.
