NFL, NFLPA reportedly working to identify vaccinated players during practices, games
By Keith Farner
Published:
As the NFL works to get more players vaccinated, and has rolled out rules and policies for unvaccinated and vaccinated players, the league and players association are now focused on identifying those players who have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
It’s regarded as a “core concern,” a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
It’s possible, and even likely, that several quarterbacks, Florio noted, have not received the vaccine. Among them are Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Because of mask requirements and other protocols, it will be impossible for those who have chosen not to be vaccinated to keep that information secret. The NFL already has implemented a requirement within team facilities that vaccinated players be quickly identified by a device like a wristband or a credential.
Regardless of who has or hasn’t or will or won’t be vaccinated, the question becomes irrelevant once the league and union finalize a method for quickly and easily distinguishing the vaccinated from the non-vaccinated.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that Washington and Indianapolis had the two lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates among the 32 teams in the league.
Pittsburgh, Miami, Carolina and Denver have the highest vaccination rates and are among 10 teams that have achieved at least 85 percent. About 73 percent of players have been vaccinated. Teams on the lower end of the vaccination table face potential competitive disadvantages.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
