Signs show information for a vaccination site operated by the Santa Clara County Health Department at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers NFL football team, in Santa Clara, California, February 9, 2021.
Brittany Hosea-Small | Reuters
The NFL is taking its strongest stance yet when it comes to getting back to normal after the pandemic.
The message? Get vaccinated.
In a memo obtained by CNBC, Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “In light of the expansion of vaccine entitlement, it is now appropriate to take further steps to educate and promote the availability and acceptance of vaccines within the NFL.”
As part of that guideline, the league says that all employees except players (called Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees) are expected to be vaccinated unless they have an underlying medical or religious reason not to do so.
Tier 1 employees include coaches and trainers, and Tier 2 employees include general managers, assistant coaches, and football operations employees. The memo states that any employee who refuses to do so without an approved reason will not be allowed access to the “soccer only” area and will not be able to work with players directly or in the immediate vicinity.
While there is currently no mandatory vaccination for players, the memo directs teams to report weekly the number of workers vaccinated. It says they are actively working with the NFLPA on a series of protocol changes that would apply to clubs when vaccination levels hit a certain threshold, allowing them to ease protocols put in place because of the pandemic. That would mean they could relax everything from quarantine restrictions to use of cafeteria and locker rooms.
The league also encourages teams to hold vaccine information sessions for players, families and staff to address any concerns.
“Educate your employees and tell them about the work-related benefits of the vaccination,” the memo read.
The NFL has also played a significant role in vaccinating the general public. Recently, the NFL reported at its annual meeting that more than 1.5 million doses have been administered at club facilities. Tuesday’s memo encourages teams to continue to use their stadium or training facilities to vaccinate employees, players and their families during “vaccination days” or the like.
“The overwhelming consensus among medical and public health experts is that the most effective way for someone to run the risk of Covid-19 – and the risk of infecting others – is to be vaccinated,” the memo concludes.