Tag: COVID-19 vaccination

Raiders LB Denzel Perryman still unvaccinated but now ‘thinking about’ getting vaccinated

Raiders LB Denzel Perryman still unvaccinated but ‘thinking about’ getting it

Thursday Raiders new linebacker Denzel Perryman entered the media room for his first press conference since joining the team. And an elephant walked in with him.

Last July Perryman said he wouldn’t get vaccinated. With that comes a lot of restrictions that can be hard on the player as well as the team dynamic.

The big question was two fold; had his stance changed and would his stance on being vaccinated have been part of the discussion when the Raiders made the trade to acquire him from the Panthers.

It was fairly obvious by the very significant looking mask Perryman was wearing for his press conference that he was still unvaccinated. But Perryman’s tune has changed from a couple months ago.

“For the record I am thinking about (getting) the vaccination now,” said Perryman. “I ain’t gonna lie, there’s too many restrictions going on. Can’t even eat with my fellow brothers. I don’t like being an outcast. . . Us unvaccinated guys can’t do much of anything. Just sit in the room and order food and come to work.”

The Raiders have prided themselves on having a high vaccination rate among the players and Gruden has said the staff is fully vaccinated. Even the stadium is requiring fans to be fully vaccinated in order to attend, in which case they may be maskless.

Perryman should get vaccinated just for his own health and those around him. But if being able to move around freely and spend time with his new teammates is enough to convince him to make that decision, that works too.

Andy Reid: Chiefs among few NFL teams with 90% of players vaccinated

The #Chiefs appear to be one of the NFL’s top teams when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination rates among players and staff members.

The Kansas City Chiefs are among the top teams in the league when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations according to head coach Andy Reid.

Speaking with the press on Friday when rookies, quarterbacks and injured players arrived in St. Joseph, Missouri for training camp, Reid updated reporters on the team’s vaccination rates heading into the season.

“Just touching a little bit on the COVID situation, we’ve got about 90% of our players (who) have taken the shot,” Reid said. “100% of the staff, they’ve all been vaccinated, so that’s a positive.”

If 90% of the Chiefs’ players are vaccinated against COVID-19 as Reid suggests, it would put the team above the league’s threshold for reduced COVID-19 protocols for the team. Dr. Allen Sills reported in a briefing with NFL media members on Friday that 80 percent of all NFL players have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reid reiterated that statistic during his press conference.

According to Sills, there are only five teams in the league with fewer than a 70% vaccination rate among their players. That’s not something that Reid and the Chiefs will have to worry about with 90% of the players on their 90-man offseason roster vaccinated.

“There are six teams that are 90% or over, so we’re glad to be in that there,” Reid said. “We’re one of the teams where players really have challenged themselves to get things done and take care of business. There are different protocols that take place for vaccinated players and unvaccinated players, but again, that’s all for safety purposes, which is an important part of it as you go forward. . .”

While Reid credits the players for getting vaccinated and taking care of business, the team has also provided good resources and educational tools to the players. The job that they’ve done to keep players informed about vaccination throughout the 2021 NFL offseason has certainly played a part in the team’s high vaccination rates as they enter a crucial part of the offseason.

“We’ve kept the guys as educated as we can with the different protocols,” Reid said back in June. “Also gave them the opportunity to look into whether they wanted to be vaccinated or not, the pluses there, what the doctors are saying, what the latest science is saying. So, if they had questions, all I asked was that they get them answered. With that, we’ve had a number of guys sign up. We’re heading in the right direction there.”

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Chiefs TE Travis Kelce partners with Walgreens to promote COVID-19 vaccination

#Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has teamed up with Walgreens to promote COVID-19 vaccination.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has teamed up with Walgreens to play some offense against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelce has joined forces with Walgreens in order to promote COVID-19 vaccinations. Roughly 48% of the country’s population having already been fully vaccinated against the virus according to the latest data from the CDC, with more citizens already having received one dose of vaccine. The Chiefs’ star tight end shared his own story of getting vaccinated on social media, recording a video for Walgreens promoting their “Our Shot” campaign. Kelce explains in the promotion that vaccinations are free, safe and effective.

“Getting vaccinated was an important step I took for myself, my family, teammates, friends and community so we can get back to what matters most. I personally chose to get the vaccine to help protect those around me and get back to doing the things we love.”

The Chiefs have been one of the leading teams in COVID-19 vaccinations among players, in part because of leaders like Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and others making their experiences known. According to recent reports, several teams have recently crossed the 85% vaccination threshold and over 70% of all players league-wide having received one vaccine shot.

For more information on Kelce’s promotion with Walgreens, as well as resources on the COVID-19 vaccine, check out walgreens.com/ourshot.

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