The National Football League plans to operate as normal as possible for the upcoming 2021 season and told teams they would forfeit games and lose money if Covid outbreaks occur due to unvaccinated players.
The NFL notes most of its teams have vaccinated 100 percent of their top staff and set up protocols for staff who aren't vaccinated. In addition, the league said more than 75 percent of "players are in the process of being vaccinated, and more than half the clubs have vaccination rates greater than 80 percent of their players."
For players, guaranteed money in contracts can become unguaranteed, and they could be fined under conduct detrimental language. The NFL players union warned its constituency of the league's stance on postponing games, urging unvaccinated players to seek vaccination and avoid contract issues via conduct detrimental. The NFLPA sent out a memo of its own on Thursday, reminding players "if games were missed because of a COVID-19 outbreak, nobody would have gotten paid.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drops back to pass against the rush of Baltimore Ravens linebacker L.J. Fort during the Pittsburgh Steelers game versus the Baltimore Ravens on November 1, 2020 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.