Detroit Tigers pitcher Francisco Rodriguez reportedly contracted the Zika virus during the MLB offseason.
Rodriguez, who is a native of Venezuela, is now speaking out in hopes that other athletes are listening about how dangerous Zika can be.
“It wasn’t a cold, trust me. It wasn’t a cold. A cold, you have a sneeze, have a headache, take a couple Tylenol and you’re done. You don’t have a cold for two weeks, you don’t have a bodyache for two weeks, you don’t have headaches, throwing up, weaknesses for two weeks,” he told ESPN.
Several star athletes are considering skipping the Olympics because of Zika concerns, and the Tigers pitcher thinks that’s a totally reasonable stance. (RELATED: Medical Professionals Call For Olympics To Be Moved Over Zika)
“I wouldn’t blame them. If they have plans to have kids in the future, you’ve got to think about it. You have to be aware of that as well. You have to do some homework, some research about it,” Rodriguez added.
Luckily Rodriguez shook the virus and is back to pitching for the Tigers.