NFL Players Association chief JC Tretter recently came out in opposition to the NFL’s idea of forcing players to wear colored wristbands to distinguish a player’s vaccination status.
In an op-ed posted to the NFLPA website, Tretter notes that the union “did not agree” to proposals that players wear wristbands that tell if they have or have not been vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Tretter also slammed the NFL’s methods for advocating for vaccines, saying, “The NFL’s memo last week was a transparent attempt to pressure players to get vaccinated; and to do that, they sacrificed clarity and created confusion for players, coaches, media, and fans, which I will clear up here.”
He added:
The NFL wants every game to be played. The players want every game to be played. The fans and media want every game to be played. It will take all of us to accomplish our goal of playing a full season and crowning a Super Bowl champion. We have the same goal. Every stunt like that memo only makes our success less likely. We need each other to accomplish it. The NFL has to be better, and we need to stick together as players and as a union to make this work again.
As to the wristband idea, Tretter had this to say: “We did not agree to them and think they are unnecessary.”
Regardless, a small group of players have made their feelings against the vaccine publicly known. Players including Cole Beasley and Cardinals player DeAndre Hopkins have been outspoken opponents against the idea that the NFL should require vaccinations. In addition, both have floated retirement plans in the event they are told it is vaccinate or no play.
Meanwhile, the league has warned that outbreaks among unvaccinated players could force a team to forfeit a game.
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