URBAN MEYER SAYS WHAT EVERY COACH IS THINKING

NFL rules make life difficult for unvaccinated players, and coaches are considering this when making roster decisions. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

---

I'm not here to stand on a soapbox or deliver a political message. 

But the simple fact of the matter is that the NFL rules in place for unvaccinated players and coaches put teams with high rates of unvaxxed people at a disadvantage. Every time an unvaxxed player or coach comes in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive, they're required to spend a minimum of five days away from the team. And daily testing is required for all unvaxxed coaches and players. They're also not allowed to see family or friends on road trips. The bottom line is there is more risk for long absences and breakouts the more unvaxxed players and coaches there are on a given team.

And breakouts lead to the chance of being forced to forfeit a game. If a game cannot be rescheduled within the current 18-week schedule and is cancelled due to a Covid outbreak among non-vaccinated players on one of the competing teams, the club with the outbreak will forfeit the contest and will be deemed to have played 16 games for purposes of draft, waiver priority, etc. For the purposes of playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be credited with a win.

On Tuesday, after the Jaguars announced their initial 53-man roster, Urban Meyer met with the media. 

"Everyone was considered," Meyer told the local media. "That was part of the production, let's start talking about this, and then also is he vaccinated or not. Can I say that that was a decision maker? It was certainly in consideration."

904 Snapback

Sold out

Shop

For Urban Meyer to come out and say what every coach is thinking, shouldn't be a major headline, or a reason for the national media to jump down Meyer's throat yet again. 

And why wouldn't an NFL decision maker take vaccination into account when making decisions? It would be negligent not to. If I've got two players I really like that are on the roster bubble, why wouldn't I keep the one that is vaccinated and has a much lower risk of contributing to a COVID breakout that might cost me a game?

Should Urban Meyer have said the unspoken part of this whole arrangement? Probably not. Because now, according to Pro Football Talk, the NFLPA is sniffing around and is ready to investigate the matter. So, yeah, that part probably could've been avoided. 

But it should also be noted that Meyer didn't say the team made decisions based solely on vaccination status, but that is was a "consideration." I'm not sure that the NFLPA can find any wrongdoing in that sort of process, especially with the NFL COVID rules that are currently in place. 

Let the talking heads have their fun. It will be fruitless. 

The shame in this situation belongs with those trying to hide the truth of what's going on inside every single building in the NFL.  

Follow Jordan on Twitter. ​