In May, the NFL announced in a memo that vaccinated players and staff won’t be required to wear a mask in team facilities. Several weeks ago, the league took that a step farther, saying that any staff that isn’t fully vaccinated by June 7 would lose “Tier 1” status, meaning they would no longer have access to restricted areas such as the practice field.
To be considered “fully vaccinated,” one must be at least 14 days removed from the final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of manufacturer. Staff who are in the process of being vaccinated or have had a medical or religious exemption approved may still access restricted areas while wearing PPE.
However, whether unvaccinated with approval or without it, staff are not allowed to access the training room, weight room, locker room or cafeteria under any circumstances.
Here, NFL insider Ian Rapoport explains some of the implications of this rule.
From @NFLTotalAccess: Things are about to change in a major way for assistant coaches who aren’t vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/6X7WCuokgt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 4, 2021
On Tuesday, Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said this prompted several assistant coaches with the Jags to receive vaccinations, according to First Coast News’ Mia O’Brien.
Urban Meyer says once the new #NFL memo came out, several of the coaches then went and got vaccinated. Takes a few weeks to be considered "fully vaccinated."
Not sure what exact tally will be, but "we'll adapt" to whatever final numbers are.
— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) June 8, 2021
This would seem to indicate several members of the coaching staff remain in the “process of getting vaccinated” category,” meaning it’s possible there will be limitations for these coaches for the next several days.
It’s unclear what impact (if any) these rules regarding vaccines will have around the league, but one thing is clear: The NFL is intent on encouraging its employees to get vaccinated.