Bruce Arians Confirms Every Buccaneer Is Vaccinated And A High-Profile Holdout Did It To Be A Better Teammate

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians confirmed Tom Brady is fully vaccinated when saying 100% of Bucs players and staff are vaccinated
• That includes another high-profile holdout, RB Leonard Fournette, who says he got it to be a better teammate
• Read more BroBible articles here

The NFLPA can dance around the topic all they want but the fact of the matter is there’s a competitive advantage to having a fully-vaccinated team in the NFL.

Players who are not fully vaccinated are subjected to more stringent testing and quarantine protocols. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated players must be tested every single day, including off days, prior to entering team facilities. Fully vaccinated players and staff will not be subjected to “high-risk close contact” protocols and having to quarantine for days.

Unvaccinated players face the prospect of missing practice and game time if they come in close contact with someone who tests/tested positive.

I found it interesting that no reporter straight-up asked Tom Brady if he was vaccinated when mini camp and preseason games began. It’s possible there are reasons that nobody asked but there’s not an instance of a reporter asking Brady about it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach confirmed that Tom Brady is fully vaccinated in a roundabout way, stating that every player and staff member of the Bucs organization is fully vaccinated. This includes Leonard Fournette who was a high-profile holdout. Fournette says he got the shot to be a better teammate.

https://twitter.com/casspa/status/1433477294220263428

Michael David Smith at PFT reports:

Head coach Bruce Arians today referred to the Bucs as a “100 percent vaccinated organization” and said that included every player, every member of the coaching staff, and every other franchise staff member.

Bucs running back Leonard Fournette, who had previously indicated that he was hesitant about getting the vaccine, confirmed today that he got it, saying that it ultimately came down to wanting to be the best teammate he can be and understanding that NFL protocols make it easier for vaccinated teammates to work together closely with no limitations. (via PFT)

As a Buccaneers fan who is still in complete and utter disbelief that we miraculously signed Tom Brady AND THEN won our 2nd team Super Bowl, it’s great to see the players and staff aren’t going to potentially face any unnecessary risks this season and miss playing time when they don’t have to.

It’s worth noting that Tom Brady has been fully vaccinated for several weeks, at the very least. Or he would’ve been subjected to a quarantine period after coming in close contact with Mike Vrabel who later tested positive:

Also, this:

The NFL and NFLPA announced additional changes this week. (1) Anytime they are indoors, fully vaccinated “club medical staff, strength and conditioning coaches and equipment staff” will still need to wear masks when working closely with players. (2) Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated players will not need to wear masks at outdoor practices. And (3) unvaccinated players cannot use private transportation when traveling with the team and neither vaccinated or unvaccinated players/staff can use public transportation.