Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is making it clear just how important it is that every team in the NFL and all its members get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Mayfield spoke on the matter recently and stressed that being vaxxed can help a team be more competitive in the 2021 season:
“Obviously, last year was new for everybody, so it was a lot of learning the protocols and what not,” the Browns QB said. “It definitely poses a competitive advantage for higher vaccine rates on the team just because of close contact rates and what happens if somebody does unfortunately get COVID, what could happen to the rest of the building.
“It’s a competitive advantage, but it’s also way more than that. It’s about safety, just general health and well-being of human life.”
Keep in mind, the Browns were hit hard by COVID-19 last season, with almost their entire receiving corps missing against the Jets, while Myles Garrett was also absent for two games after testing positive.
Mayfield's comments came just a day before the NFL announced on Thursday that any team who is dealing with an outbreak will have to forfeit a game instead of it being rescheduled:
The NFL just informed clubs that if a game cannot be rescheduled during the 18-week season in 2021 due to a COVID outbreak among unvaccinated players, the team with the outbreak will FORFEIT and be credited with a loss for playoff seeding, per sources.
Massive implications.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 22, 2021
This is obviously massive and should urge each and every organization to get their vaccination rates up. It's not known where the Browns stand on this front, but according to the New York Post, 13 teams reached an 85% vaccination rate as of July 16th. However, there are still teams like Washington and Indianapolis who are below 50%.
With the Delta Variant ripping its way through to the United States as cases continue to climb again, the NFL needs to get on top of this before the season turns into a nightmare.
Mayfield has a strong point. Being vaccinated and having a healthy locker room will help you on the field. But, it's also about taking care of yourself and making sure you're doing everything imaginable to not get COVID-19.
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