Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t want to comment on his vaccination status yesterday when he spoke with the media after checking in for training camp in Spartanburg. Both Darnold and running back Christian McCaffrey refused to say whether or not they’d gotten the shot.
Today, the beans have been spilled. According to multiple reports, Darnold received his second dose of the vaccine on July 16 and he will be considered fully-vaccinated by Friday, July 30.
New Panthers QB Sam Darnold will be considered fully vaccinated on July 30th, according to a league source. Darnold had his second shot on July 16th. He had originally expressed some vaccine hesitancy.
— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) July 28, 2021
Early last month Darnold said he wasn’t vaccinated, which caused quite a stir on Twitter.
What changed? We can’t say for sure, but it might have something to do with the NFL’s new restrictions on unvaccinated players. In any case, the CDC says the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death due to COVID-19. Breakthrough infections are possible, but at this point over 99% of the deaths in the US are among unvaccinated individuals.
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