DALLAS — Where were you when Cowboys center Travis Frederick posted to Twitter a statement that he had Guillain-Barre syndrome?
The All-Pro center announced Wednesday he was suffering from the insidious autoimmune disorder. It wasn't a case of the stingers that were causing the 2013 first-round pick to experience pain in his neck and shoulders. Instead, it was a syndrome that affects the upper body.
Now, I won't pretend to be a doctor and explain it to you. Dr. David J. Chao, formerly the team doctor for the San Diego Chargers, does a great job breaking it down and what it means for Frederick's playing career. ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer also shares his experience with Guillain-Barre as a teenager that sent him to the ICU.
The real loss for the Cowboys in Frederick's battle against this syndrome is not the games missed, but the time lost in the locker room, in the meeting rooms. Oh, sure coach Jason Garrett and staff will do everything they can to make Frederick feel like he is part of the team as he recovers, but let the words of former franchise quarterback Tony Romo sum up what it's like when he talked about being injured during his concession speech on Nov. 15, 2016.
Said Romo: "You almost feel like an outsider. Coaches are sympathetic but they still have to coach. And you’re not there. It’s a dark place, probably the darkest it’s ever been. You’re sad and down and out and you ask yourself, 'Why did this have to happen?'"
The experience isn't solely felt by Romo; it is a common theme for players who are injured and away from the game. The rehab process doesn't coincide with getting ready to play a game each week. The central point of being in the locker room is something that is lost for players who are injured.
Frederick means so much to the Cowboys locker room, especially in a season where they have had a depletion in leadership with Jason Witten's retirement and Dez Bryant's release. The answer to the question that was posed about who would be the leaders is that new ones have to step up. One of those leaders was going to be Frederick.
I have covered a lot of Cowboys charity events since 2013. When they are team-sponsored events, such as the annual home run derby or children's hospital visits, it isn't uncommon for the franchise quarterback to show up or any one of the Pro Bowlers. When it is a player-sponsored event, maybe a handful of teammates will show up, especially the players associated with that player's position group.
When I covered Frederick's Blocking Out Hunger event this May, what struck me was, not the number of high profile Cowboys who were there, but how many Cowboys in general were there. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott showed up. The entire offensive line showed up. Even Jaylon Smith, Tyrone Crawford, Jeff Heath, and an assortment of defensive players showed up. There were close to 30 of Frederick's teammates who showed up for the event.
I talked with one of them about why this was so, and the teammate told me that the amount of Cowboys at the event was directly proportional to the respect that they had for Frederick. The former Wisconsin Badger had commanded so much respect in the locker room on both sides of the ball that they were willing to show up in such numbers for their 2016 captain.
That is the most troubling part of Frederick missing time. I am confident that new offensive line coach Paul Alexander will find a way to scheme around the loss of Frederick, whether that is simply plugging Joe Looney in at center or sliding right guard Zack Martin a little to the left and finding another solution at right guard. The real problem is going to be filling that leadership void Frederick will leave behind.
"One of the things we’ve been fortunate is we’ve had a lot of really good leaders here for a long time," Garrett said during training camp in Oxnard, Calif. "A lot of the guys who are on our team. You think about the offensive linemen, Dak right from the start, Zeke to a certain extent has really grown into a leadership role. But Tyrone Crawford and [DeMarcus Lawrence] and Sean and all those guys, Byron Jones, Jeff Heath, a lot of the guys that are on our leadership committee. They’ve been outstanding leaders really for a long time."
Those are the players who must summon more of their leadership skills to cover for Frederick as he focuses on a new assignment, one which every Cowboys fan hopes he wins and expeditiously.
Does the Travis Frederick news add a fresh perspective on the Cowboys as we head into the season? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.