RICHMOND (VA) -- Ron Rivera, Washington Football Team coach, said he is frustrated by his players' lower vaccination rates and fears about how it might affect their team.Rivera stated that more than half of Washington's players were vaccinated against COVID-19 when they arrived at training camp Tuesday.He said, "We are not where we want,"Rivera was diagnosed with skin cancer in August last year and received treatment during the season. Rivera said that he is now immunodeficient."With the new version, who knows?" Rivera spoke about the Delta variant. Rivera said about the Delta variant: "When I am in a group, and the group isn't vaccinated, or there's some mixture, I put on the mask. This is for health reasons, because nobody really knows. That's what I do. "And I wish, and I hope, that our guys understand."According to the NFL Network, 60% of all teams had their players receive one or both vaccines. The NFL's medical director Dr. Allen Sills stated last week that five teams had less 70% of their players getting one or both shots.Sills stated that nine teams have at least 90% of their players in this group.Washington placed Cornelius Lucas, offensive tackle, on Tuesday's reserve/COVID-19 roster.Only two Washington players tested positive for the virus last season. Neither of them was on the 53-man roster. Dwayne Hakins, the quarterback, was fined for inviting a guest to the team hotel while on the road. This is a violation of protocol. Later, they fined Haskins because he was at the party in a hotel room without wearing a mask.Rivera considered Washington to be a leader in fighting COVID-19 last year.Rivera stated, "Now, for whatever reasons, we have some resistance to that, to get vaccine." These young men must make that decision for themselves. They should be able to see the importance of not getting the vaccine.Kizzmekia Corbett, a Harvard immunologist, addressed Washington's players in spring and answered their questions. Rivera stated that he will continue to speak to individual players to gauge their resistance. Rivera stated that they won't allow unvaccinated players to wear any clothing in practice that indicates their status.Rivera stated, "Many guys have many questions unfortunately." They haven't received the right answers. We must make sure they are informed and can help them make educated decisions."I am not going to tell anyone what to do. I'm going try to understand them, and give them reasons why it'll be good for them. We'll watch how it turns out. We need to get to these guys to get them to see that it's not just about them. It's also for their family members. That's what I hope will catch their attention.Rivera stated that the possible disadvantage lies in the preparation. For example, if a player will be absent for two weeks during the season. A player who tests positive for COVID-19 the day before a match could infect others.Rivera stated, "That's going shake up your team." We saw what happened to Denver last year. They had to go with a wide receiver as their quarterback. That is not something you want to do. This could be a very disadvantageous situation. The hard part is that they have to consider the rules. You're not only at risk of your paycheck, but also the paychecks of others if there's no game. This is something we should all think about.Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, warned teams that there could be a team forfeit due to an outbreak of unvaccinated players. Rivera warned that this situation could cause tension in the locker rooms.Washington was 7-9 last season, but won five of seven games to win NFC East. Many consider it a favorite to win again at training camp.Rivera stated, "It's everybody's choice, everyone's decision, but you just hope they all agree to understand what's at stake."Rivera held his first news conference in person since 2020's scouting combined, which provided some normalcy for camp. Rivera had to mask Rivera's presence for as long as Rivera was present. It served as a reminder of how the NFL and society remain.Rivera stated that the COVID situation is still something Rivera was concerned about. We have to work out how to do that. We do. As a football team and as individuals, we need to understand the true potential of our future. We will see how it all plays out, and this will tell us something about ourselves.
