Tag: COVID-19 Vaccine

Robert Saleh: Jets player vaccination rate is ‘above average’

Robert Saleh didn’t say exactly how many Jets players received the COVID-19 vaccine, but he said the rate is above average.

Updated July 28, 12:15 p.m.

Robert Saleh said that 81 players on the Jets’ 90-man training camp roster are vaccinated, thus putting the team’s rate at 90 percent. Saleh added that the entire coaching staff is also vaccinated.

RT George Fant, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, tested positive. He will have to quarantine for 10 days, per league protocols.

Robert Saleh didn’t say exactly how many Jets players are vaccinated against COVID-19, but he sounded happy with the team’s rate on Tuesday.

“I know we’re above-average,” he said on the first day of training camp. “I feel good about where we’re at.”

Saleh added that he wasn’t sure if all of his coaches were vaccinated, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Per NFLPA/NFL protocols, all coaches and other staff members in direct contact with players – named “Tier 1” staff – must be vaccinated against the virus, or their access will be revoked.

Players are not required to be vaccinated, but those that receive the shot will have much more lenient policies, including less testing, not having to wear masks in the team facility or during traveling, and no social distancing restrictions. Unvaccinated players won’t benefit from those loosened protocols, and teams could forfeit games and paychecks if an outbreak occurs among unvaccinated players.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, 85 percent of players in the league received at least one shot, and 14 of the 32 teams had vaccination rates of more than 90 percent as of July 27. It’s unclear if the Jets are among those 14 teams after Saleh’s Tuesday comments.

The Jets placed tackle George Fant on the reserve/COVID-19 list later on Tuesday after intake testing. It’s unclear if Fant tested positive for the virus or if he is vaccinated.

A few Jets have posted photos about getting vaccinated or stated they’ve been vaccinated, including C.J. Mosley and Greg Van Roten.

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‘In the pipeline,’ Cowboys moving towards vaccination goals as camp opens

The Cowboys open training camp in Oxnard and they took the opening press conference as a chance to clarify their status with the vaccine. | From @CDBurnett7

After the 2020 NFL season was engulfed in the global COVID pandemic, just like in the greater world, vaccinations have become part of the landscape in the attempt to return to a sense of normalcy. Within the league, players and staff are encouraged to participate in regards to easing the guidelines for testing and social distancing.

The Cowboys were one of a handful of teams which didn’t reach the necessary threshold to relax the environment prior to starting training camp, but now are one of many NFL teams pushing towards the 85% threshold. With Dallas training camp starting in Oxnard, team owner Jerry Jones gave some clarity on the Cowboys’ status on vaccinations.

“We have what I call ‘in the pipeline’, that’s committed but at some various stage…out of our 90 players here, we have a handful that in my mind have still yet to commit (to a vaccine).”

Jones is confident players will get their vaccines and make sure the team has no issues this season with the pandemic. Compared to the “77 percent” that most teams have for the vaccine, Jones says “we are very satisfied.”

After the NFL loosened requirements for vaccinated players, getting a vaccine has become a hurdle for players and staff to jump to make the upcoming season much less stressful and take away the potential risk of missing games due to a positive COVID test.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy took the chance to describe his experience with getting the vaccine and how he was able to alleviate the concerns.

I was not particularly 100% on-board with the vaccination but through the relationships we are fortunate to have in the medical community, you watch, you listen, and I think that same approach was given to our players… I made the conscious decision to get the vaccination.

McCarthy said it was an ongoing conversation and he spent time discussing with Jones and the medical staff when deciding it was best for him and the team to get a vaccine. With there still being unvaccinated players on the Cowboys, McCarthy and the staff will have to go through the same conversations if they want to reach the 85% threshold.

Jones made sure to finish McCarthy’s statement with a stern explanation that Dallas won’t have any issues with being able to compete in 2021, whether it be on the football field or getting vaccinated.

We are right there in the same spot with other teams that are able to compete…I will report to you, factually, that we are able to stand up to anybody there is and be able to compete any day relative to all the issues about a vaccine.

The players continued to go through medical checks on Wednesday and will hit the field for their first practice on Thursday.

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Report: Jaguars saw spike in COVID-19 vaccination rate after minicamp

Since minicamp came to an end, the Jags have seen one of the league’s biggest surges in vaccination rate.

Though the Washington Post reported last week that the Jacksonville Jaguars were lagging behind many other NFL teams in terms of rate of vaccination for COVID-19, it seems that’s now changing. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Jacksonville saw a major boost in vaccines following the conclusion of minicamp (though Fowler called it training camp).

It seems this was a response to the memo sent to NFL players that detailed the restrictions unvaccinated players will face, including daily testing, separation from vaccinated teammates during meals, and lack of access to facilities as well as being restricted to the team hotel during travel.

Coach Urban Meyer also said earlier this month that several coaches received the vaccine after the league announced its restrictions for unvaccinated coaches and personnel.

Though the Jags still aren’t among the best clubs in terms of vaccination rate, the spike that Fowler is talking about will hopefully lead to fewer players facing COVID-19 limitations during the 2021 season.

More Than A Vote released a new podcast on COVID-19 vaccine

‘More Than A Vote’ teamed with Jemele Hill and Bakari Sellers to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine in the Black community.

Among the several things that LeBron James has going on, including working on getting back to playing shape after missing the past month with an ankle injury, James is becoming even more involved in the political sphere.

In particular, his voting rights advocacy group, More Than A Vote, is using its power to promote awareness and provide clarity on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier this month, More Than A Vote released its first foray outside of the electoral sphere as they teamed with Jemele Hill and Bakari Sellers to produce a two-part podcast about the COVID-19 vaccine and the Black community.

The goal is to provide historical context to potential hesitations about the vaccine, while also presenting facts about vaccines to encourage a quicker end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities.

“While Black Americans are no more skeptical of taking the COVID vaccines than any other population group, those who are hesitant have an incredible amount of history to point toward to justify their position,” said More Than A Vote Chief Communications and Content Officer Michael Tyler. “Our goal is to fully unpack that history and demonstrate that even as vaccine distribution hits full speed, the racist nature of the American healthcare system is not a relic of the past but a current burden that stands in the way of justice for our community and a full and equitable recovery from the current pandemic.”

Part 1 of the podcast is on the feed of the “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” podcast while Part 2 is on the feed of “The Bakari Sellers Podcast.”

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Lakers news: Some players will get COVID-19 vaccine this week

The NBA has told its members that getting the vaccine can help relax the strict Health and Safety protocols for people who have it.

Several players on at least three NBA teams have already taken the most definitive step towards taking themselves off the NBA’s very robust testing schedule: getting the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the latest reporting from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, several members of the Los Angeles Lakers will join members of the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Portland Trail Blazers, in getting their coronavirus vaccine.

Due to many legal issues, including HIPPA, teams will not say which players get the coronavirus vaccine. Some players on other teams, such as Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter of the Portland Trail Blazers, posted they had received the vaccine on their personal Twitter accounts. So, we won’t know about any Lakers players or staff members getting the vaccine unless they are the ones to tell us themselves.

The Lakers flew back to Los Angeles last night after their loss in New Orleans. Now they get to stay in Los Angeles for the next week, starting with a game on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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