Dexter McCluster could have MRSA
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster (22) gets past Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (94) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Denver won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster missed practice on Thursday and Friday with an ankle injury, and it was later revealed that McCluster is dealing with a laceration on his foot. He cut his ankle in last week’s blowout win over the Washington Redskins, and the Chiefs aren’t ruling out MRSA.
Yesterday, the Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor tweeted that the Chiefs haven’t officially ruled out McCluster for tomorrow’s game against the Oakland Raiders, but they also “haven’t ruled out MRSA”. Then the Kansas City Star’s Randy Covitz reported that McCluster needed procedures and tests on his infected ankle on Thursday, and the Chiefs head athletic trainer is worried that McCluster is dealing with a MRSA infection.
If McCluster does have MRSA, then he is definitely going to miss tomorrow’s game and would likely miss a few weeks after that. It’s a tricky and serious situation, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can attest, having seen a few players diagnosed with MRSA earlier this year. The Chiefs still haven’t received the lab results from the tests on Thursday, so consider McCluster’s status for tomorrow’s game up-in-the-air, and the chances of him having MRSA are also up-in-the-air.
Hopefully this MRSA scare amounts to nothing, because it is an extremely serious disease. There’s plenty of optimism that he’s fine, but it pays to be diligent and cautious in situations like these. If McCluster has MRSA, then the Chiefs will need to make sure to test other players and clean out the locker room, because it’s very important to find the source of the drug-resistant strain and make sure it doesn’t infect other players (you know, like what happened to the Bucs).
Important Update: Pro Football Talk reports that Dexter McCluster, thankfully, does not have MRSA, but he will not play tomorrow against the Raiders after being unable to make the trip.