Care Packages, Workout and Nutrition Plans Part of Duke's Support for Football Players

Duke has been keeping in touch with its football players, not just with Zoom meetings but also with the postal service.

The football staff has been sending packages to the team to make sure they’re able to eat well and stay in shape.

“All of us in this quarantine mode, if you got snacks in your house, you’re crazy,” Coach David Cutcliffe said. “That’s what you go to first—all of us, including our players.”

The staff acted quickly to make sure the Blue Devil players weren’t subsisting on junk food.

“When this happened, we saw there was a chance of this being long-term,” Cutcliffe said. “When we were able to go over to the office, before the stay-home, we were able to put together care packages that we sent to every current player. We were able to send different kinds of strength bands, protein powders, really outstanding snacks, different things that they needed to focus on to be as best they can.”

Not all players have weights at home, so the strength and conditioning coaches have had to get creative.

“Our strength staff, (strength and conditioning coach) Noel Durfey has developed three different workouts (depending on what, if any, weight equipment a player has at home),” Cutcliffe said. “We send them out to them weekly to follow. There’s running involved in every one of those things. Beth Miller, our nutritionist, sends out information about reminders and proper nutrition and foods that make them feel full and foods that give them energy and foods that help recovery.”