Theo Epstein Commends Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy for Admitting How Badly Coronavirus Affected Him

For reasons we'll never understand, certain individuals insist on downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, and that has undoubtedly led to the latest spike of positive cases in certain areas around the country.

Since some folks are in need of a reminder, Chicago Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy recently disclosed the physical and mental battle he was forced to tackle after contracting COVID-19, and the details are pretty chilling.

Realizing that it couldn't have been easy for Hottovy to come public with this, general manager Theo Epstein had some strong praise for the 38-year-old for sharing his story.

During an interview with 670 AM The Score in Chicago on Wednesday, Hottovy revealed how grueling it was to be away from his wife and young children while self quarantining. At one point during his recovery, the Cubs staffer dealt with depression.

As traumatizing as his battle was, Hottovy is using his experience as an opportunity to help his players reckon with quarantining and being away from their families as they report to Wrigley Field for Spring Training 2.0 and undergo testing.

"Having gone through it and having lived it to an extent," Hottovy said, "I do think it's important for me and our family to be accessible to these guys and be, I don't want to say be an example, but be someone that they can use as a resource through this whole process."

Hottovy wanting to share his troubling story with the public is courageous and it truly couldn't have come at a better time. Hopefully his experience will serve as a reality check for those that refuse to acknowledge that we are still very much in the initial wave of COVID-19.