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- The NFL may come after player’s paychecks if they decide not to get vaccinated.
- A new agreed-upon letter between the NFL and NFLPA outlines shocking new details.
- Check out more sports coverage at BroBible here.
NFL players that get vaccinated for COVID-19 and have to miss a game will still be paid, but that may not be the case for those that decide not to get vaccinated.
Yes, you read that correctly, players that aren’t vaccinated and have to miss time due to a positive test could result in them losing pay for all games missed. While the NFL and NFL Players Association have already outlined very clear advantages and incentives for players that do get vaccinated, threatening to take away paychecks is undoubtedly the most impactful move the league has made.
Related: NFL Memo Encourages Players And Staffers To Get Vaccinated, Includes Harsh Ultimatum
According to a letter agreement between the NFL and NFLPA that was obtained by Pro Football Talk, teams “may not challenge whether or not a player’s COVID-19 infection is football-related if . . . the player was fully vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus; and the player received an initial negative test for COVID-19 upon timely reporting to preseason training camp during the 2021 League Year, and he did not have a subsequent unexcused absence from preseason training camp.”
The keyword in all of this is ‘challenge.’
A vaccinated player that tests positive even after the regular-season bye week can not be challenged by his team as to whether the positive test resulted from a football-related activity.
On the flip side, teams can challenge a positive test for players who have not been vaccinated. This, in theory, means players who don’t get vaccinated could lose game checks.
Teams around the NFL are trying to reach an 85% threshold of vaccinated players and staff so that they can operate under normal circumstances. The Washington Football Team recently brought in a ‘vaccine expert’ to promote players and staff to get vaccinated, which Montez Sweat voiced his frustrations with.
Bills’ wide receiver Cole Beasley made headlines last week when he blasted the NFLPA over the many restrictions in place for unvaccinated players. Back in May, Bills’ GM Brandon Beane said that it would be an “advantage” if teams could cut players that decide not to get the vaccine.