It has been reported that Dallas Cowboys‘ center Travis Frederick has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the bodies’ nerves. For now, there is no timetable for when the Pro Bowl center can return to football.
It had been previously reported that the Cowboys’ 2013 first-round draft pick was dealing with neck pain that was initially thought to be caused by stingers. To find the source of these sharp pains and sensations, Frederick met with specialists to determine the severity of his neck pain. Late Thursday afternoon, Frederick turned to Twitter to unveil the true source of this pain. In his update, Frederick announced that the doctors believe they caught this disease early on in the process. It is believed that Frederick will be making a full recovery but it remains unknown as to when.
An update on what’s going on with me: pic.twitter.com/KSkMUvyCWk
— Travis Frederick (@tfrederick72) August 22, 2018
Dallas Cowboys Center Travis Frederick Diagnosed with Rare Disease
Frederick’s play on the field puts him in a class of his own, and unfortunately, so has this disease. Since Guillaim-Barre disease only affects two out of 100,000 people per year, not many NFL players have been affected. Luckily, Frederick is not alone as former Denver Broncos‘ guard and ESPN analyst, Mark Schlereth, offered his support and experience with the disease Thursday night:
@tfrederick72 Travis I had this in 1993 while playing for the Skins. If I can answer any questions of be of service please feel free to DM me and I’ll pass along my contact info.
— mark schlereth (@markschlereth) August 23, 2018
What This Means for the Cowboys
If Frederick is forced to miss time, it will be an oddity for the Cowboys. Since being drafted in 2013, Frederick has started and played in all 80 of the 80 possible games. Also among the lead leaders in consecutive snaps played, Frederick is a true anchor at the center position. The Cowboys’ coaching staff will now have the task of filling the void at center in their All-Pros’ absence.
With it likely that Travis Frederick will miss time this season, his iron man streak will end.
Frederick has played 5,396 consecutive snaps, which is the second longest active snaps streak in the NFL behind only @MitchSchwartz72‘s 6,401 snaps.
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) August 23, 2018
The Cowboys typically do not prioritize shifting players’ positions to fill a need on short notice. For them, it is “next man up” rather than making hasty adjustments. In Friday morning’s practice, seventh-year man, Joe Looney, was seen taking first-team snaps at center. There is also the possibility of moving rookie guard, Connor Williams, or fellow All-Pro guard, Zack Martin, to center but both seem likely to remain on both sides of Looney as week one rolls around.
As much as Cowboys’ and football fans want Travis Frederick on the field, his health and family are most important. Here is to Frederick making a full recovery and returning to the gridiron.
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