Just the risk of taking down the entire NFL team and not allowing them to field a team causing them to forfeit games. But it's all laughs & giggle until some NFL player is hospitalized and dies from COVID.
So in my view let those player decide whether they wish to be vaccinated and/or not play. These guys are professional athletes... most are young. They should know the condition of their immune system to some degree. If they are taking all sorts of drugs ... maybe they need to stay home. Statistically speaking... for young healthy people this is less than the flu... especially if we are not capturing 4 out of 5 of those with covid antibodies... with our data and our tests... We could have 5 to 10 people who were exposed for every positive...
Minnesota Vikings Coach Frustrated by Players Vaccine Hesitancy: ‘Some of the Things They Read Are Just – Woof – Out There’ https://www.mediaite.com/sports/min...the-things-they-read-are-just-woof-out-there/
Ron Rivera unloads on ‘a———s’ spreading vaccine misinformation https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/16/ron-rivera-unloads-s-spreading-vaccine-misinformat/
NFL coach Ron Rivera rips apart media for filling Gen-Z players’ heads with Covid misinformation Ron Rivera says misinformation about Covid-19 vaccine is irresponsible and deadly https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/16/ron-rivera-unloads-s-spreading-vaccine-misinformat/ NFL coach Ron Rivera has spoken out about people who spread Covid-19 vaccine misinformation, claiming it’s causing thepandemicto become more deadly. The Washington Football Team coach told Sports Illustrated in an interview that some of the younger players he interacts with get their news from smartphones. “One specific news agency, every time they have someone on, ‘I’m a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work.’ Or, ‘I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile.’ Come on. That, to me? That shouldn’t be allowed,” Mr Rivera said. “Gen Z is relying on this,” Mr Rivera said, possibly a reference to younger players on the team. Mr Rivera is a well-known health advocate following his skin cancer diagnosis, which is he has been officially rid of since January. Mr Rivera’s message about the Covid vaccines echoes federal health figures like Dr Anthony Fauci, senior adviser to Mr Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr Fauci has gone on record multiple times urging people to take the vaccine. According to Dr Fauci, there are more than 90 million eligible Americans who are not yet vaccinated. Last month, President Joe Biden called out the “Disinformation Dozen”, 12 individuals who are said to be responsible for “65 per cent of all anti-vaccine content”. In July, Mr Rivera voiced his disappointment with the low levels of vaccination against Covid among the Washington Football Team’s players. "It's not just for them, but it's for the people around them," Mr Rivera told Sports Illustrated. "And that's the thing that I think hopefully will get their attention is it's not just about them, but the folks around them... I'm truly frustrated, I'm beyond frustrated."
Falcons first NFL team to have 100% of players vaccinated https://apnews.com/article/sports-n...rus-pandemic-3a4dd2af1587c2e4f2f5fee96d7beea7
Jerry Jones says getting COVID-19 vaccine is about team accountability: 'We rely on each other to win' https://www.aol.com/sports/jerry-jones-says-getting-covid-182624122.html Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has become one of the NFL's biggest COVID-19 vaccine supporters. He wants his team to lead the NFL in vaccination percentage, not just because being vaccinated is a smart, safe thing to do, but because it makes it a lot less likely that Cowboys players will miss significant time due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. And that gives the Cowboys a better chance to win. Jones is continuing to speak freely about the vaccine, which he did during his weekly interview with 105.9 The Fan on Tuesday. He emphasized that he wants the Cowboys to be an example of teamwork in the NFL and in society as a whole. Jones was also asked what he would say to players like Cole Beasley, who are adamantly refusing to get the vaccine and say that the NFL is forcing the vaccine on them. “I don’t really say anything here. To me, this is a team game. We rely on each other to play. We rely on each other to win. We have to have each other. There’s 11 guys out there at any one time to be trite about it. And you have to count on the other guy being available. And you certainly don’t want to be doing anything that causes your teammates to not be available. All of that comes to the same conclusion as far as what you agreed to be as far as a player, be a part of a team." Jones: Getting vaccinated is about team accountability Jones made it clear that for him, getting the vaccine is about making sure you're there for your team when they need you. But if training camp has been any indication, teams will be having problems with that all season. For example, the New England Patriots have been without QB Cam Newton this week due to a "misunderstanding" with his daily COVID-19 testing, which is only required for unvaccinated players. The Buffalo Bills will reportedly be without four players, including Beasley, for five days this week because they had close contact with a team trainer who tested positive. Unvaccinated players who have close contact with someone who tests positive are required to have five days of negative tests before they're allowed to return to the team facility. Not even the Cowboys have been immune. They're missing CeeDee Lamb and three other players, as well as a coach, due to COVID-19 protocols. The entire team has been operating virtually since the weekend. The Cowboys announced Saturday that 93 percent of their players are vaccinated. Jerry likely won't rest until that number climbs to 100.
NFL teams are cutting anti-vaxxers, unwilling to put up with plague rats. Don’t feel sorry for Cam — he did this to himself Belichick decided to cut a QB he couldn’t trust, case closed https://deadspin.com/don-t-feel-sorry-for-cam-he-did-this-to-himself-1847591769 Cam Newton chose not to get vaccinated. Bill Belichick chose to keep a quarterback room that was. Life is all about choices. The New England Patriots stunned the sports world on Tuesday morning when Newton was released by the team. The timing caught everyone off guard as the decision went against every narrative that was in the public eye, as Newton and rookie Mac Jones were locked in a contested battle for the starting spot. “Why Cam Newton is a far less risky choice than Mac Jones to start the season” read a headline in the Boston Globe from Monday. Even Belichick said Newton was “definitely moving in the right direction,” to start the week. By Tuesday morning, it was a wrap. Newton was done and Jones was the new QB1 in Foxboro. However, as surprising as the move was, it’s not like Newton didn’t know who he was dealing with. “Everything is geared to win, and if you’re not built for that, that’s not the place for you,” Newton said about New England in February on an episode of I Am Athlete. “I think Bill Belichick is the most misunderstood person in all of sports,” he later added. Quotes like that from Newton — on top of the fact that he’s had COVID — are why it was so bewildering when he wouldn’t divulge if he had been vaccinated or not in early August. “It’s too personal to discuss it. I’ll just keep it at that,” he said. It didn’t matter, we would eventually find out that Newton wasn’t vaccinated after he was “subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility” — something that only unvaccinated players have to adhere to — after a “misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities.” Despite all he had been through, Newton still wasn’t vaccinated. “By the time I came back, I didn’t feel comfortable,” he said in the I Am Athlete interview when asked about coming back from COVID. “A lot of that discomfort came pre-snap. I’ve always valued my talents as something that’s improv, like, ‘I’m going to make a play, I know how to make a play.’ And this system, it dictated by certain things, and working extra with Josh and Jedd ... throughout those times there were times when it was just like, ‘Hold on...’ I’m lost. I’m thinking too much.” If Newton wants to continue his career as an NFL quarterback he would be a risky gamble for teams. Due to his age, performance from last season, and his current vaccination status, only time will tell if GMs will be giving his agent a call. Because unlike Kirk Cousins — another unvaccinated starting quarterback — Newton isn’t guaranteed $30 million this season, as he’s reportedly leaving New England with $3.5 million with the Patriots doing him a solid by not trading him, making him a free agent that can sign anywhere. Since the scandal that led to him leaving Florida to the allegations at Auburn, to his time with the Carolina Panthers and the Patriots, Newton’s entire career can be defined by mountaintop highs and valley lows. And as Newton waits by the phone, the decision may ultimately come down to whether or not he gets vaccinated — which is all the more reason why a quarterback’s ability to take a “shot” to the arm is so important. If Cam Newton wants to play football again he’ll get vaccinated. If he doesn’t, he won’t. It’s that simple. Choose wisely, Cam. The game needs you.