New York Giants players were informed Tuesday by coach Pat Shurmur that general manager Dave Gettleman was diagnosed with lymphoma. The news left the room stunned.
"Obviously we were a little shocked because no one really knew," rookie running back Saquon Barkley said, via NJ.com. "We came together as a team, and coach kind of said he is in high spirits, he is getting better, he is going to fight this thing, and we are going to be there for him and pray for him."
Added Barkley: "He is part of the reason why I'm here, why I got drafted to the New York Giants. It sucks to hear that for someone you care about, but at the same time you know the type of person he is and it sounds like he is in very high spirits. He knows for sure that everyone on the team has his back. We're there for him. We're going to continue to love him and pray for him."
Gettleman, 67, said earlier this week his "prognosis is positive," but that didn't make the news any easier for his new players.
"It was horrible," guard Will Hernandez said. "The fact that it is somebody who just recently became so close and so dear to me was even worse. From the short time I've known Gettleman, he is strong.
"He always has a positive attitude. He's the reason why I'm here, so of course I'm going to be behind him 100 percent and supporting him in any way I can."
The Giants hired Gettleman in December after four years as the GM of the Carolina Panthers. Many of the younger players are still getting to know their new boss.
"It was tough," wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. "But [Gettleman] is a strong guy, just from what I know being around him these last few months. He'll beat it. We have faith in that. Coach told us that the doctors are very confident and he's confident, so that ultimately makes us confident."
Gettleman plans to work through treatments and will lean on assistant GM Kevin Abrams and Shurmur throughout the process.
