Two years ago around this time, New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey was lying on the floor of his office having just completed his fifth of six chemotherapy treatments.
McGaughey had previously been diagnosed with periampullary cancer, but despite the ongoing battle, he had no intention on walking away from the NFL.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread in March of this year, McGaughey once again had to think about his health and future. And he did, for just a moment.
Now healthy, McGaughey said opting out of the 2020 season never became a serious consideration.
Giants Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who is a cancer survivor, said he didn't give any thought to opting out on the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) August 11, 2020
Although McGaughey says he’s “not really concerned” about his health history in relation to the coronavirus, he’s not taking any unnecessary risks, either.
McGaughey acknowledges that he’s only ever one of two places — his home or his office. He drives to and from both with no unnecessary pit-stops.
That eliminates those concerns for McGaughey, but it’s not as if he’s operating without problems. He’s trying to wade the waters of a unique NFL season which features limited training camps and no preseason games.
Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey laughs when asked about evaluating returners without preseason games: "You figure it out. I don't know. We're just out there coaching them up. We'll do things to evaluate them."
— Dan Salomone (@NYGsalomone) August 11, 2020
It may be a difficult month for McGaughey without those preseason games, but he’s overcome much more difficult and serious things before, so this should be a cakewalk.
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