After the surprising news Cam Newton’s releaseSome people speculate that the quarterback’s vaccination status played a role in the New England Patriots’ decision.Head coach Bill Belichick overturned this idea on Wednesday, when Talk to reporters.
“No. Look, you guys have been talking about that,” Belichick said.
“I just want to point out that I don’t know what this number is, but the number of players, coaches and staff affected by COVID in this training camp — they have been vaccinated — is a pretty high number. So I Will not ignore this.
Between August 1st and 21st, 68 players and staff of the 7,190 people tested tested positive. The incidence of unvaccinated people is 7 times that of vaccinated people. https://t.co/TYkkIkBcA6
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 1, 2021
#patriot Coach Bill Belichick said that Cam Newton’s failure to vaccinate was not a factor in his release, and pointed out that the vaccinated players and coach also tested positive. The reality is that statistics and rules force the team to consider usability. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/5mg6qVpjt7
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 1, 2021
Before New England’s third and final preseason game, Newton had to leave the team for five days due to the COVID-19 agreement. Neither the Patriots nor Newton confirmed the veteran’s vaccination status, but the New England team stated that Newton is being tested for COVID-19 every day as part of the agreement for unvaccinated players.
Newton is regarded as favorite In the entire training camp and early in the preseason, he became the first week of the New England team’s starter. First-round pick Mike Jones performed well in the preseason, and when the Patriots start the regular season on September 9, he will become a center.
On Tuesday, the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Urban Meyer, said the team considered the players’ vaccinations before the final layoffs. George Atallah, Assistant Executive Director for External Affairs of the National Football League Players Association, Tell ESPN The NFLPA will investigate Meyer’s comments.
NFL teams are not allowed to lay off staff just because of their vaccination status.
Vaccinated players will only be tested for COVID-19 once a week. Unlike unvaccinated players, they do not have to leave the team for five days after being in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Newton started 15 games for the Patriots last season. After testing positive for COVID-19, he missed a game.
Photo: Getty Images | Maddie Meyer
