New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was spotted putting on a medical mask ahead of the team’s first-round selection on Thursday night, but because he was in his home, some felt it was an opportunity to mock the 69-year-old.
Twitter immediately lit up with Gettleman jokes as NFL Network and ESPN cameras panned through his home office, but the reality is, there was nothing funny about it.
Although Gettleman has become a punchline for many as part of an extremely faulty narrative, taking aim at him for wearing a mask crossed an unnecessary line.
Gettleman, of course, was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of lymphoma two years ago and underwent a year of chemotherapy as part of his battle. As a result, the Giants general manager is at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus, which has shut the entire world down and led to tens of thousands of deaths.
Plus, Gettleman was not along in his home office. The Giants had sent their football operations/data analytics specialist, Ty Siam, to serve as his right-hand man throughout the draft, ensuring that there are no technical glitches or errors.
“I’ve got a young IT fellow in here with me and we’re social distancing and part of it’s the mask. I’m fine,” Gettleman said during a conference call with reporters.
The whole anti-Gettleman shtick was already old and tired, but this latest round took it to an entirely different level. Especially considered the same people who demand following the medical guidelines were the first to jump his case.
But hey, someone has to flex those keyboard muscles. And they likely wouldn’t have been able to tough out the same battle the 69-year-old Gettleman did, so perhaps it’s just insecurity peeking around the corner.
