With the NFL's new rule policy regarding potential forfeits for teams with COVID-19 outbreaks, teams' around the league are racing to get their rosters vaccinated. According to Pro Football Talk, Jon Gruden reveals the Las Vegas Raiders vaccination status as one of the highest in the league right now.
Gruden claims that every staff member and everyone on the roster outside four or five players are fully vaccinated. The players who have yet to receive a vaccination were not named, but it sounds like they'll be receiving the shot relatively soon.
Being fully vaccinated is a huge advantage in the NFL this year, as it decreases the chances of spreading the virus and keeping the best players on the field. Additionally, players who catch COVID and are vaccinated are not punished the same way as players who are unvaccinated. With the forfeit rule change added this year, teams across the league are pushing for their players to get vaccinated.
The Raiders are near the top as they are nearly 100% vaccinated. Some franchises are not as far along. For example, the Washington Football Team is on the opposite side of the spectrum. So much so that head coach Ron Rivera voiced his frustrations with his team during a press conference.
According to Pro Football Talk, Las Vegas is one of 14 teams with at least 90% of their players vaccinated. With the 2021 NFL Season right around the corner, the Raiders, and Jon Gruden are putting themselves at the head of the vaccination race. Las Vegas will be able to play freely and deal with COVID restrictions less than some of the other franchises across the league.
Receiving the vaccination has become a controversial topic, with some players voicing their opinions freely on Twtiter. There haven't been any Raiders players voicing their frustrations, as the entire organization seems to be fully on board with the vaccination. We'll see which other teams join the Raiders, as being fully vaccinated will help prevent forfeiting any games this year.