Despite Missing 2019 With Blood Clots on His Lungs, David Andrews is Not Opting Out
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Holy Moses. This is both a relief - because who the hell wants to lose more players than the three starters and Core-4 special teamer who already opted out - but also a serious concern. If there was one guy in the NFL putting his physical well being on the line right now, it's David Andrews.
Specifically, Andrews was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, defined as "a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream." Which sounds like it belongs on the short list of preexisting conditions you do not want to expose to Covid-19, right after the obvious ones like old age and cancer. So the fact he's not shying away from being the guy in the exact center of a scrum of large, bodily-fluid covered men 60-plus times a game is as admirable as it is frightening.
Maybe his doctors have told him he's at no more risk than any other 28 year old healthy male. Maybe he lost a season last year and realized how important football is to him. Or perhaps he's just feeling good and willing to take his chances with the league and team protocols. All I know is that, while I'm glad Andrews is opting in, it should give all of us that weird, nervous, uneasy feeling like we had when Tedy Bruschi returned just a few months after he suffered a stroke. That worked out incredibly well. But it's still taking a gamble with your health.
But even with all the concerns, this is a reason to celebrate. The center who took two-time DPOTY Aaron Donald completely out of the Super Bowl is back. The guy who stole the championship parade by going Shirtless O'Clock before his Duckboat made it one block is back. The guy who has been spending as much time with potential QB1 Jarrett Stidham,
… is back. I'll be crossing every crossable body part I have to his continued good health. But for now, we rejoice.