It's called the 'flu game', but the name isn't actually representative of what actually happened. On the eve of the Chicago Bulls' Game 5 tussle with the Utah Jazz, Michael Jordan got hungry, ordered a pizza, and, unbeknownst to him, was delivered something unworthy of consumption. Long story short, M.J.'s flu game actually involved food poisoning.
Why are we bringing this up so close to the Philadelphia Eagles' appearance in Super Bowl LIX? Buckle up guys! We're glad you asked.
At least two of the Eagles stars are this close to producing a similar legacy game.
At least five Eagles are battling illnesses ahead of Super Bowl LIX. That includes three known starters on defense.
We received a bit of a scare earlier during the week. Vic Fangio shared Nolan Smith was dealing with an illness and he hoped the young Eagles star would be ready by kickoff of the Super Bowl.
Carter was a limited participant at Eagles practice on Wednesday but practiced fully on Thursday and Friday. Fingers are crossed that he'll be as close to 100% healthy as possible as the Birds need all hands on deck to win this.
Carter is the only sick Bird mentioned on Philly's injury report for an illness. Britain Covey has been ruled out. Brandon Graham, Nick Gates, and C.J. Uzomah have all been labeled questionable. Unfortunately, in terms of Carter, he reportedly isn't the only Eagle who has been sick.
Like Carter. Nolan Smith is battling flu-like symptoms. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell reportedly has laryngitis. At least five players seem to be dealing with some sort of setback with the biggest game of their lives on the horizon.
Michael Jordan's food poisoning was the result of some foul play by a Salt Lake City pizzeria. That isn't the case in New Orleans, but it does lead to another talking point.
Participating players in every Super Bowl spend countless hours around strangers and media members. That makes the possibility of contracting a virus much more likely.
That's something league offices must monitor more closely as our game evolves. Have you seen how unorganized opening night has gotten? Can you imagine what we'd be saying if our Birds had attracted COVID as a result of this?
The safety of players must be taken into consideration. That has to be the top priority.