Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said increasing COVID-19 vaccination levels "has become a competitive issue for teams and players alike" in the NFL.
The league and the player's union last week released protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated players in 2021, drawing the ire of Bills WR Cole Beasley, who has threatened to retire to protest the vaccine. Players who refuse vaccination will be tested for the virus every day, required to wear masks in team facilities, have travel restrictions, and may not leave the team's hotel during road games -- all rules implemented during the 2020 season designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Breer said negotiations between the NFL and player's union "weren’t to create two classes of players. More so, it was to upgrade rules for those who’ve been vaccinated." Vaccination rates have climbed in recent weeks, from around 30 percent to 55 percent of players who have had at least one jab, per Breer. Teams with large swaths of unvaccinated players could struggle through another season of contact tracing and other measures that made 2020 a massively difficult season.
RELATED:
Cole Beasley
SOURCE: SI.com
Jun 21, 2021, 8:57 AM ET