New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells has been in the hospital for a week battling a staph infection in his foot, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Fells has undergone multiple surgeries to deal with MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureu, an antibiotic-resistant form of the infection that is extremely hard to deal with.
According to Rapoport, citing sources close to the situation, the doctors have performed five surgeries and are now making every effort to prevent the foot from being amputated. Fells has caught just six passes for 60 yards so far this season, so he is not much of a fantasy contributor, but his long-term health is obviously the most important factor in this emergency situation.
Back in 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dealt with an outbreak of MRSA in their locker room. Guard Carl Nicks and kicker Lawrence Tynes both contracted the infection and have been unable to return to the field since then. Tynes, who was the first member of the team to deal with MRSA, has been openly critical of the way that the NFL and the Buccaneers handled the situation.