Third Tampa Bay Buccaneer has MRSA; Eagles game still on

PHILADELPHIA - October 11, 2013 (WPVI) -- A third Tampa Bay Buccaneers player has been diagnosed with a MRSA infection, the team told ESPN on Friday, just ahead of their game with the Eagles.

The team did not reveal the player's identity, ESPN reports.

The Buccaneers are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Tampa Bay on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

The Eagles tell Action News that, for now, there has been no change in plans.

Kicker Lawrence Tynes and guard Carl Nicks previously were diagnosed with MRSA, a staph infection that is resistant to some antibiotics.

Nicks came back and played in two games before he was diagnosed with a recurrence Thursday, ESPN reported.

MRSA can be spread by skin-to-skin contact.

In a statement, the NFL Player's Association said:

We have been involved in an ongoing review of the MRSA incidents in Tampa Bay initiated by the concerns we had about the manner in which team officials responded to these cases.

We advised the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that an outside expert should be brought in to assess the situation and we are pleased with their decision to take that recommendation. We have also been in regular contact with the player representatives from Tampa Bay. We will reach out to the Philadelphia Eagles player representatives today and provide them with our best medical guidance and regular updates from the outside experts.

This underscores the need for a League-wide, comprehensive and standardized infectious disease protocol. It also calls for improved accountability measures on health and safety issues by the NFL over the clubs.

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philadelphia eagles, chip kelly, michael vick, desean jackson, lesean mccoy, nfl

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