An elite run blocker, San Francisco 49ers center Alex Mack has a big problem with open pores.
Mack, who joined the team this offseason, has been sweating so much in training camp that quarterbacks have been struggling to grip the ball while receiving snaps from the 35-year-old. Things have gotten so bad that Mack’s excessive perspiration issue has led him to start tucking a towel inside his pants to help stem the tide. According to The Athletic, Mack has “carried a progressively larger towel with him through the first 10 practices.”
Asked about the five-time Pro Bowler’s sweating issues, Jimmy Garoppolo described what it is like being under center for one of Mack’s sweaty snaps. “It definitely makes it difficult if you’re not ready for it, I would say,” Garoppolo told reporters. “I’ve kind of learned throughout my career how to deal with it, but the best way I could describe it is you’re playing in a dry game and all of the sudden it’s a rain game when you get the snap.”
He elaborated …
San Fran coach Kyle Shanahan, who coached Mack in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns and 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons, told reporters the veteran center has been dealing with this issue for most of his NFL career.
“He works hard out there and has a little bit of a sweating issue. And we need like a beach towel. The quarterbacks are working through that. Honestly it happens with almost all centers,” Shanahan said. “Maybe Mack a little worse than others, but no, I mean, [Atlanta Falcons QB] Matt Ryan used to make him change his pants like every period. It doesn’t stay dry too long. It’s part of football.”
In a funny twist, there’s another individual with the same name who is also known for sweating …
The 49ers will open the preseason on Saturday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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