Matt Patterson / Associated Press
Dr. Allen Sills, NFL chief medical officer players, coaches and staff will choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, although it is not expected to be mandatory.
As passed on by ESPNs Kevin Seifert, Sills said on the NFL Network on Thursday that the league “has no intention” to demand the vaccine. However, the NFL is working to counter vaccine reluctance.
“What we’re focusing on is education,” said Sills. “We want everyone to know the facts.”
During next month’s draw, the competition requires fewer teams to fill their war spaces with vaccinated individuals than clubs that receive vaccinated and unvaccinated staffers on the day of the trek.
“You will see that vaccinated individuals can have certain privileges,” Sills said. “And certain precautions being lifted that don’t apply to unvaccinated individuals.”
This could quickly become one of the next big sticking points between the NFL and Players Association. According to ESPNs Chris Mortensen, the union is calling for a full virtual low season – as was the case in 2020 – to keep the roll-out of vaccines going and to give the contamination rate across the country more time to reduce.
Meanwhile, Seifert noted that “owners believe that daily testing will not be necessary at a training camp this summer, “with the majority of players eligible for the vaccine.
It is unclear whether individual clubs require their employees to receive the vaccination before returning to the team facilities.