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All 32 NFL teams have at least
60 percent of their players vaccinated against COVID-19, while
10 clubs have crossed the 90 percent threshold.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network
reported the updated figures Monday, including that 83.6 percent of all players have received at least one vaccine shot
ahead of the 2021 season.
Although the NFL has stopped short of
requiring a COVID-19 vaccine in order to play this season, the rules
it has put in place make in clear it wants as many players vaccinated
as possible.
In June, the league announced the
coronavirus protocols would be drastically reduced for vaccinated
players during training camp and the preseason, including an
elimination of daily testing and the need for mask wearing or social
distancing in the team facilities. Unvaccinated players must continue the strict guidelines that were in place throughout the 2020
season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a
memo last week that explained potential punishments for a COVID-19
outbreak among unvaccinated players or staff members, which included
severe financial penalties and a potential forfeit for the team with the outbreak if it is
unable to play a game. If a contest is canceled, players on both teams will lose that week’s paycheck.
On Saturday, league spokesperson Brian
McCarthy confirmed to ESPN’s Jenna Laine that unvaccinated players will be
fined $14,650 for every violation of COVID-19 protocols.
Several players have continued to
say they won’t receive the vaccine. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole
Beasley, one of the most outspoken critics of the rules, posted a
response after Goodell’s memo:
In May, the league told teams they can’t
cut players solely based on their vaccination status, a
topic that was raised after Bills general manager Brandon Beane suggested the prospect of doing so if it meant less restrictions on the
organization, per Pelissero.
The NFL preseason will kick off Aug. 5
when the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers face off in the Hall
of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The regular season is scheduled to begin Sept. 9 when
the Cowboys visit the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay
Buccaneers.
It’s the first year of a 17-game
regular season, and the league’s memo said there are no plans to add
an extra week at the end of the campaign to accommodate COVID-19
postponements.
