Vaccinations and 2021 NFL season (no politics)

[APB]

Buffalo has been in the news regarding their low player participation in getting COVID vaccine shots. QB Josh Allen and WR Cole Beasley have been particularly outspoken about it. Here is a recent Beasley tweet:



It's becoming pretty apparent there will be some higher profile players resisting getting the jab. I wonder if teammates will be supportive with this particular issue? I also wonder what lengths the league will go to force player's hands? I just hope it doesn't get ugly and we see players either getting suspended or boycotting based upon vaccine protocols or status.

Side note: keep your follow-up comments apolitical, please.

[go pak go]

Yeah it will be a tough question if employers can or should enforce this vax to be able to attend a place or work etc.

Honestly I don't understand the anti-vaxxers. This is a temporary vax which means there should be very limited risk because it will be flushed out of your system in a matter of months.

But it will be a dilemma regardless. Certainly not a way I would go but I guess I'm a sheep.

I do ultimately think if you're the NFL having a no vax no pay/play policy is reasonable. It's a business decision for the NFL. Another outbreak would be deadly from a financial perspective and they must protect that for 2021.

[Crazylegs Starks]

Once the vaccines are fully approved, not just under emergency use, the NFL can require them. Until then, it'll be difficult to properly enforce, and all they can do is incentivize the use of the vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna have already applied for full FDA approval so it's just a matter of time, really.

I think AJ Dillon should tell Beasley all about what "eating healthy" did for him with regards to Covid.

[Acrobat]

Strange times we live in for sure. The vaccine shouldn't even be associated with politics. I can't remember which player it was, but he told his team that he wouldn't take the vaccine because he just needed more information, so the team literally sent an expert to the team and spoke about the science behind it, and that player still said he needed more info. We do seriously live in the dumbest of times right now.

[Ghost_Lombardi]

Once the vaccines are fully approved, not just under emergency use, the NFL can require them. Until then, it'll be difficult to properly enforce, and all they can do is incentivize the use of the vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna have already applied for full FDA approval so it's just a matter of time, really.

I think AJ Dillon should tell Beasley all about what "eating healthy" did for him with regards to Covid.

EEOC and courts have stated employers can tell employees to get the vaccine or be fired.

I doubt the NFL would go this route.

[Yoop]

It's political because so many of the anti vazzers are rebelling against it for political reasons, it was the same with masking, thing is no one knows when they will come into contact with this strain of covid or the even worse strains, so for someone to say stay away from me in a close contact situation or take your chances, is idiotic, these people don't seem to care what happens to others.

get the shot, or go home.

[APB]

From RotoWorld:

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said increasing COVID-19 vaccination levels "has become a competitive issue for teams and players alike" in the NFL.

The league and the player's union last week released protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated players in 2021, drawing the ire of Bills WR Cole Beasley, who has threatened to retire to protest the vaccine. Players who refuse vaccination will be tested for the virus every day, required to wear masks in team facilities, have travel restrictions, and may not leave the team's hotel during road games -- all rules implemented during the 2020 season designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Breer said negotiations between the NFL and player's union "weren’t to create two classes of players. More so, it was to upgrade rules for those who’ve been vaccinated." Vaccination rates have climbed in recent weeks, from around 30 percent to 55 percent of players who have had at least one jab, per Breer. Teams with large swaths of unvaccinated players could struggle through another season of contact tracing and other measures that made 2020 a massively difficult season.

I'm not sure some of those rules are gonna fly very well in light of the nationwide easing of restrictions. Things like restricting players to hotel rooms while on the road, for example. A player could reasonably argue no significant additional threat assuming he leaves the hotel with protections in place, i.e. masking and distancing protocols. Prohibiting/restricting player movements to hotel rooms seems to reach beyond the realm of protecting the team and well into encroachment of personal freedoms.

Once punishments begin being handed down, I'm sure there will be challenges. All it'll take is one high profile player to challenge the league and it could all backfire.

Is the league gonna suspend Patrick Mahomes because he ventured from his hotel room fully protected to go get a bite to eat like every other American citizen is entitled to do, vaccinated or not?

[Acrobat]

It's political because so many of the anti vazzers are rebelling against it for political reasons, it was the same with masking, thing is no one knows when they will come into contact with this strain of covid or the even worse strains, so for someone to say stay away from me in a close contact situation or take your chances, is idiotic, these people don't seem to care what happens to others.

get the shot, or go home.

What's weird though is that the political reasons don't even make sense. Trump himself took the vaccine so there shouldn't be any Trump fans using politics as a reason not to get it, unless they follow everything Tucker Carlson said. If that's the case, then they're screwed for many reasons.

But yeah, none of this should have ever been political. Should have been something that banded everyone together, but again, we live in the dumbest of times.

[APB]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

[Acrobat]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I have a friend who is pregnant that chose not to take it. I'm just not really sure what other reasons there are.

[go pak go]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I have a friend who is pregnant that chose not to take it. I'm just not really sure what other reasons there are.

My wife and I initially chose to not take it due to us trying to get pregnant too. But we also made this decision in early January because my wife was the first one offered to take it (since she works in the ER).

We then took it later after we did more research and spoke to more people educated on the topic than us and found out that the vaccine to pregnancy correlation was due to a poor report written by one person that got taken out of context. We have not spoken to one Fertility doctor or OBGYN who has stated there is any elevated risk of pregnancy to vaccination.

I understand why people are skittish about something at first. But to then make a hard stand without further investigation, inquiry, etc. is where I don't really get it. Now having said that, my wife and I are also seeing a lot of fertility doctors right now and my wife works at a Children's hospital. So we have those resources easily accessible to us.

[APB]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I have a friend who is pregnant that chose not to take it. I'm just not really sure what other reasons there are.

Perhaps a conversation with her could clarify her position.

<sigh>

I knew cracking the door on this topic could prove difficult in avoiding crossover into the many political angles currently dominating our media landscape. It is hard even for me. But for the purpose of this discussion, let us try and limit our comments to the football aspect and its impacts.

As it appears, those impacts could be significant.

[go pak go]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I don't think there is much to discuss honestly. The league and NFLPA will have a tough decision to make. I don't blame them for enforcing the rule if they feel it is best for the bottom line and risk mitigation.

The only "grey" area is it is not a fully approved FDA medication yet (it is emergency clearance only). So is it right to enforce a vaccine when it has not gone through all the bureaucratic red tape that a normal vaccine/drug would go through?

But as far as just enforcing a vaccine...this absolutely has precedence. If I wanted to attend Augustana University, I had to get the meningitis vaccine. No if's or but's. If I didn't....I could not attend university.

[APB]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I don't think there is much to discuss honestly. The league and NFLPA will have a tough decision to make. I don't blame them for enforcing the rule if they feel it is best for the bottom line and risk mitigation.

The only "grey" area is it is not a fully approved FDA medication yet (it is emergency clearance only). So is it right to enforce a vaccine when it has not gone through all the bureaucratic red tape that a normal vaccine/drug would go through?

But as far as just enforcing a vaccine...this absolutely has precedence. If I wanted to attend Augustana University, I had to get the meningitis vaccine. No if's or but's. If I didn't....I could not attend university.

Do you think it is justifiable to limit a player's movements to a hotel room while traveling with the team when the public at large is allowed to inter-mingle whether vaccinated or not? Would you accept (hypothetically non-vaccinated) Davante Adams and Aaron Jones being suspended for multiple weeks because they were spotted together at a local Kansas City restaurant having dinner together the night prior to the game?

These are the type issues I think the league will face moving forward. It will be interesting to see how players and league officials all respond.

[go pak go]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I don't think there is much to discuss honestly. The league and NFLPA will have a tough decision to make. I don't blame them for enforcing the rule if they feel it is best for the bottom line and risk mitigation.

The only "grey" area is it is not a fully approved FDA medication yet (it is emergency clearance only). So is it right to enforce a vaccine when it has not gone through all the bureaucratic red tape that a normal vaccine/drug would go through?

But as far as just enforcing a vaccine...this absolutely has precedence. If I wanted to attend Augustana University, I had to get the meningitis vaccine. No if's or but's. If I didn't....I could not attend university.

Do you think it is justifiable to limit a player's movements to a hotel room while traveling with the team when the public at large is allowed to inter-mingle whether vaccinated or not? Would you accept (hypothetically non-vaccinated) Davante Adams and Aaron Jones being suspended for multiple weeks because they were spotted together at a local Kansas City restaurant having dinner together the night prior to the game?

These are the type issues I think the league will face moving forward. It will be interesting to see how players and league officials all respond.

Yeah it's tough. Particularly because it is a new vaccine and not fully approved by the FDA. Again I always use my example of, "if I wanted to go to school at Augie...I had to get vaxxed. If I didn't get vaxxed....I couldn't be a college student."

So I feel that same argument could be placed here that "if you wanna play ball....you need to get vaxxed" unless your doctor finds some sort of higher risk as to why you shouldn't get vaxxed.

As far as Packers are concerned...I just hope they get vaxxed so I don't have to worry about it.

[Pckfn23]

Vaccinated, or follow the protocols set forth last year. Pretty cut and dry to me as well.

[Trudge]

Can we agree it is possible some players/citizens prefer not to take the vaccine for other than political reasons? Assuming that is possible, let's focus this tangential discussion less on what many apparently see as justifiable health/safety apolitical reasons for not taking the vaccine and more on what level impact this could potentially have on the upcoming season.

I would say no.

[salmar80]

I moved all the posts about vaccination and their effect on upcoming season from the NFL news thread over to here.

This thread will get moved to the Round Table if it gets all political.

[APB]

Vaccinated, or follow the protocols set forth last year. Pretty cut and dry to me as well.

Last year is a long time ago in terms of how far the country has come fighting COVID. The global/national rules and guidelines have evolved considerably in that time.

These rules being set in place do not align with current CDC or national practices.

[salmar80]

Just curious, to what extent can players choose other medical procedures the team medical staff deems necessary?

You can't say no to concussion nor drug testing. I assume that standard player contract or the CBA includes some obligation to follow certain treatments. For example, a player who suffers a torn ACL can't just refuse to take the surgery or forgo rehab without consequences.

In some cases, players can ask for second opinions from conventional medical experts, but I doubt the NFL teams would be cool with someone claiming to treat his torn pectoral with psychic surgery, Hawaiian ho'oponopono or with beer spa therapy....