On Thursday, the NFL made a groundbreaking announcement involving the league’s new COVID-19 vaccination policies. In a memo sent to all 32 teams, the league announced, among a slew of other things, one particularly interesting rule. The rule states that if a breakout occurs within a singular team, causing them to postpone an upcoming game, they may be forced to forfeit the match-up. This, of course, would only occur if there was simply no way to reschedule the affair.
In the wake of this announcement, players from around the league voiced their opinion on the memo’s contents. Perhaps one of the most viral responses regarding the new policies came from Arizona Cardinals‘ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
NFL’s Vaccination Policy Leads Cardinals’ Hopkins to Speak Out
In a since-deleted Twitter post from his personal account, Hopkins gave his take regarding there league’s stance on the issue. Hopkins feels as though he’s being punished for exercising his right to choose not to take the vaccine. He feels as though the policy places him into a situation where he could hurt his team simply over a personal decision. He finished by saying the NFL and its vaccination policies have made him “question” his future playing football.
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According to multiple sources, over 75 percent of NFL players have taken at least one dose of the vaccine. Per an NFL release, all 32 teams have a vaccination percentage above 50 percent. It’s easy to see why so many players are getting vaccinated early. If a vaccinated player tests positive for COVID-19, they can return to the field if they are asymptotic and record two negative tests 24 hours apart. However, the waiting period before returning to play is 10-days if you are not vaccinated.
Essentially, the move is an attempt to help speed up the vaccination process within organizations. The idea is players will choose to be vaccinated so they don’t put their team at risk. However, that’s the problem many players, including Hopkins, have with the policy. The NFL’s memo made it very clear there’s no bend in their new rules. The cut-and-dry language used in the document give off the impression the league will be taking this issue seriously.
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