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How a case of mono helped the New York Jets discover Mike White

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Adam Gase buried the lead.

On Sept. 12, 2019, the then-New York Jets coach began his daily news conference with the injury report -- just like always -- mentioning five players and their practice status. After a brief pause, he dropped a quarterback bombshell.

"Fourteen has mono," Gase said matter-of-factly, referring to Sam Darnold and his jersey number. "So Trevor Siemian will be starting and Luke Falk will get elevated at some point."

Darnold's mononucleosis created a domino effect that has lasted three-plus years. It's not a stretch to say that if the Jets hadn't lost Darnold for a few weeks to the so-called "kissing disease," their current quarterback wouldn't be Mike White.