In most contact sports, cleanliness doesn’t come first on their priority list. In football, this can be seen throughout the sport. With daily practice in all weather, keeping clean isn’t the easiest to achieve, but in recent events, the bad hygiene hit the football team. A recent crisis of possible staph infection has hit the team out of nowhere.

Staph infection is a skin infection with oozing of pus.

“I was at home one day, and I noticed a bit of blood on my chair. Then I looked at my arm and pus oozing out of my arm.” junior Jake Mercier said. Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria. It can cause nausea and severe stomach aches. The scariest part is how highly contagious through skin contact. A staph infection is a bacterial infection. Through a repeated contact of uncleanly objects such as the football practice uniforms. “I have washed my football jersey three times since football started and that’s through rain, mud, sweat, and blood,” said Mercier.

The football team had a fair share of fear. Many players feared of getting the infection, knowing that throughout practice they are in contact with many people.

“My locker is right next to his and I was scared that I might have the possibility of having staph,” said junior Haydn Schertz.  

Not allowed to go to practice, Mercier went to the Emergency Clinic and they further concluded that the skin infection wasn’t a staph infection, but it was easily a treatable strep infection. After numerous medication, the fear of any infection was gone and free of any infection for 2 weeks.