Earlier this week, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman shockingly announced that he was about to embark on a battle with cancer following a lymphoma diagnosis during a routine physical.
“Recently, I underwent an annual physical, during which it was discovered I have lymphoma. Over the past week, I have undergone more testing to determine the course of treatment, which is scheduled to start in the very near future,” Gettleman said in a statement released by the team.
“The doctor’s outlook for the treatment and the prognosis is positive, and so am I.
“I will continue to work as much as the treatment process will allow, and as they know, when I am not in the office, I will be in constant communication with Pat (Shurmur), Kevin (Abrams) and the rest of our staff.
“I am thankful to John Mara and Steve Tisch and our organization for their support and encouragement, and to Ronnie Barnes for his guidance and assistance. And, of course, to my wife Joanne and our children for their love and support.
“And I want to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy and that of my family as we work our way through this. I look forward to being back at full strength and devoting all my energy to helping make this 2018 New York Giants team the best it can be.”
Although assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will understandably take on an increased role while Gettleman undergoes treatment, Giants senior vice president of player personnel, Chris Mara, says that Gettleman’s role will not otherwise be diminished.
“The fortunate thing for us with the timing of it is, if I can use a horse reference, the horse is pretty much in the barn at this point,” Mara said during an appearance on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports radio. “The ship is pretty steady right now.
“Dave is going to be working day-to-day. He might be at home a little bit. But his voice will be heard loud and clear.”
The cancer diagnosis came as a shock to everyone for obvious reasons, but Mara was a bit more surprised than most. Having worked side-by-side with Gettleman throughout the NFL Draft process, Mara said there were no signs of a man battling so much as a cold, let alone cancer.
“I was a little shocked, just because we had been working together very heavily during the draft and he was as feisty as can be,” Mara said. “He is such an upbeat guy. He has been downplaying everything. I think he has a great frame of mind to go and beat it. He is a very energetic guy, a very tough guy. … If anybody can beat it, it’s going to be him.”
Gettleman will remain the Giants’ acting general manager and continue to handle things like Odell Beckham Jr.’s potential contract extension until such a time comes that he can not. But the hope in East Rutherford is that no such time will arrive.