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Myron Rolle Using Traits Learned As NFL Safety To Fight Coronavirus At Mass General

BOSTON (CBS) – Myron Rolle wears a different kind of face mask now than he did in his prior profession.

Rolle is a former NFL safety who is now in his third year as a neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As you can imagine, he's been very busy during the coronavirus outbreak.

"I always wanted to be a neurosurgeon," Rolle said.

But first, he wanted to play football. Rolle was a safety at Florida State while completing pre-med studies. He played three years in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Myron Rolle
Myron Rolle playing for Florida State in 2008. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

"I wanted football to take me as far as it could. Once it did, once I got it all out of my body, I said let's move into medicine so that we can still contribute society and I can live this lifelong dream of fixing people, helping people," Rolle said.

During the coronavirus outbreak, Rolle's floor at MGH turned into a wing dedicated to treating infected patients. Rolle said it is "all-hands on deck."

Rolle said the hospital sees 50-100 patients suspected to have the coronavirus every day. He said they come from New Hampshire, Maine and other nearby states.

Myron Rolle
Dr. Myron Rolle at Massachusetts General Hospital. (WBZ-TV)

The former safety said football taught him to be a team player – one of the lessons that helped prepare him for the crisis.

"The biggest crossover trait that's helped me the most has been mitigating pressure. You have to remain calm, remain cool, go back to your fundamentals," Rolle said. "It was the same way when it was fourth down, and backed up. The offense is driving and you have to make a big stop. It's a lot of pressure and you have to fundamentally go back to your basis."

When asked if he believes the NFL season will get back underway as scheduled this year, Rolle said he finds that "unlikely."

"I think it'd be a while before NFL or any professional sports league gets back going," Rolle said. "You have to just ensure the safety of not only the players, but also the fans who come and see you, the vendors, all has to be in order."

Rolle stressed how critical it is for everyone to do their part to help slow the spread of coronavirus, adding that no one is invincible.

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