New NFL-NFLPA Covid protocols

[Frat-Train]

19 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Why would they "retire" and face giving back millions of dollars of amortized signing bonus not to mention potential future earnings? 

Basically, the protocols unvaccinated players follow are just what they dealt with last year, and few players opted out, can't think of any who retired.  So if someone has strong convictions, they can just shrug and say "OK, I lived this way last year".

 

I'll be honest though, I don't see how the different rules can help but become a distraction if the clubs actually enforce the different rules.

 

 

Oh, I’m not advocating it.  I’m just taking the passions we’re all seeing elsewhere and wondering what the boiling point would be in a league of young individuals that don’t always comprehend the sacrifice of their actions.  There’s good and bad examples of NFL players giving up millions to follow their passions.  It happens.  Wouldn’t surprise me to see it here.  That’s all.  😉

[eball]

I like what Bruce Arians told his team the best.  "You want to get back to normal around here?  Get the shot."

[Hapless Bills Fan]

36 minutes ago, 716er said:

Awesome - get the shot or live like it’s 2020 

 

Heh.  Not quite:

 

I don't think the clubs could come around and *zap* the players for a game check up to $50k and more for a 2nd or 3rd violation last season.

 

That's a sizeable chunk of change!

 

I wonder if this news has any relationship to the Bills announcing minicamp is over - maybe they want to have some more "mature discussions" on the vaccine issue in lieu of these new NFL/NFLPA approved protocols?
 

21 minutes ago, Frat-Train said:

Oh, I’m not advocating it.  I’m just taking the passions we’re all seeing elsewhere and wondering what the boiling point would be in a league of young individuals that don’t always comprehend the sacrifice of their actions.  There’s good and bad examples of NFL players giving up millions to follow their passions.  It happens.  Wouldn’t surprise me to see it here.  That’s all.  😉

 

I believe there might be some ranting and raving, akin to the seething turmoil of a volcano about to erupt.  But prior to the retirement papers being filed, I believe the boiling lava of young individual passion will encounter the cold ocean water of agent and financial advice and be chill.

It's worth bearing in mind that the NFLPA, which is supposed to be the advocate and voice for the players, has signed off on all this.

 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

Vikings Coach speaks:

 

 

1 hour ago, billsfan89 said:

 

The difference is that the 30-40% of players that are unvaccinated are going to see the other 60-70% of players who are vaccinated enjoying having a mostly normal season. That might get a good chunk of the 30-40% of players who are hesitant against the vaccine to just cave into the inconvenience. Yes some people are just going to hold out no matter what but I suspect that the vaccination rate among players is going to end up in the 80% range by October. 

 

I've heard it's more like 50-60% unvaccinated on most teams. Maybe that has gotten better with the recent push by all the teams.

[YoloinOhio]

6 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Vikings Coach speaks:

 

 

 

I've heard it's more like 50-60% unvaccinated on most teams. Maybe that has gotten better with the recent push by all the teams.

 

So Bills have over 50 of 90 vaccinated (or at least weren’t mentioned among those who don’t)

Edited June 16, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Thanks! Good news. Glad to see the Bills not mentioned there 👍

[eball]

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Thanks! Good news. Glad to see the Bills not mentioned there 👍

Another area where I think the trust factor with McD and Beane comes into play. Even if some of the guys are being fed b.s. vaccine conspiracy theories they know McD isn’t going to lie to them. 

[YoloinOhio]

30 minutes ago, eball said:

Another area where I think the trust factor with McD and Beane comes into play. Even if some of the guys are being fed b.s. vaccine conspiracy theories they know McD isn’t going to lie to them. 

If anyone has completely researched something health-related, it’s McDermott. The man eats Raisin Bran as a special treat. He wouldn’t put anything in his body that he didn’t fully research and feel was the right thing. I would follow any regimen or health decision that man has. I’m sure the players know this. 

Edited June 16, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[Buffalo03]

On 5/27/2021 at 2:04 PM, wjag said:

So for all the secrecy of who was vaccinated and who was not, all you will need to see his footage of those wearing masks at the facility.  It amuses me how a player can look at the restrictions for not getting a vaccine and saying, "I'm good with that."

I'd retire. I'm not even kidding. It's a freaking joke

[pennstate10]

50 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

I'd retire. I'm not even kidding. It's a freaking joke

 

Lol. Median NFL salary is $2.3 million. Median US household income is $60,000. 

 

Yet you'd retire because you didn't want a little owwie 

[Buffalo03]

7 hours ago, pennstate10 said:

 

Lol. Median NFL salary is $2.3 million. Median US household income is $60,000. 

 

Yet you'd retire because you didn't want a little owwie 

Not a little owwie. There's a bigger reason and also, if I have already been in the league a while, I have money set aside already to live off of. Not 60,000 but of course, you would miss the point 

[billsfan89]

12 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Which is the exact reason they are making the rules the way they are.

 

Harsh rules “to protect you” if you are not vaccinated and lax rules if you are.  We are not mandating that you must get vaccinated, but your life will return to normal sooner if you do.

 

Everything will be fine until the first Tennessee style outbreak on a team with fewer vaccinated folks and a lack of available PS players to call up.  Once it costs a team a game or two - then stuff gets real.

I think most teams will get 60 to 70% vaccinated rates by training camp as they educate and push players. Then I suspect that by the end of September that number will be over 80% as you get the lazy people that cave. Hopefully that’s enough to avoid an outbreak 

[GETTOTHE50]

I can’t wrap my head around how these dudes are playing one of the most dangerous sports in which they can suffer from a horrific or chronic injury at any point during a game, but then are scared of the highly improbable negative effect from a vaccine (not including fever/chills).

[Rochesterfan]

2 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

I think most teams will get 60 to 70% vaccinated rates by training camp as they educate and push players. Then I suspect that by the end of September that number will be over 80% as you get the lazy people that cave. Hopefully that’s enough to avoid an outbreak 

 

Based upon available data the NFL is already pushing 60% for most teams.  This latest release of protocols (approved by both the NFL and NFLPA) will push it easily toward the 85% goal that the NFL has floated to teams to begin fully operating as per 2020.  Tasker said it on One Bills Live - Then you will see a few camp bodies (that have decided not to get a shot) will find themselves being cut to get to the required %.  My guess is by mid-training camp you are pushing 85-95% for most teams - with a few stragglers.

 

The fun part will be that first player that refused the shot that gets exposed and misses time and gets fined a game check - that will move a few more into the getting stuck group.  

[Rochesterfan]

3 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

Not a little owwie. There's a bigger reason and also, if I have already been in the league a while, I have money set aside already to live off of. Not 60,000 but of course, you would miss the point 

 

Then why keep playing with that attitude?  Actually with that attitude it shows you lack the drive to most likely make it in the NFL long term as these guys for the most part are highly driven and do all sorts of crazy things to stay in the league - highly controversial and more potentially dangerous than vaccination- like hitting Europe or the Caribbean for Stem cell injections, weird supplements and HGH injections.
 

If a vaccine that has been shown to be highly effective and have very little side effects through millions and millions of injections - especially when compared to the disease you are vaccinating against - would have you retire, but the risk of long term injury by playing keeps you in the league - your priorities are all wrong from the beginning.

[freddyjj]

On 5/27/2021 at 1:57 PM, Hapless Bills Fan said:

They should still be testing fully vaccinated individuals at some interval - perhaps that's still under negotiation.

May be noted elsewhere in thread but vaccinated players will be tested every 14 days as well. 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[DrDawkinstein]

22 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

 

[TheFunPolice]

I think it helps players to understand/know that the coaches, front office, team ownership, etc. have taken the vaccine. 

 

It won't convince everyone, but it has to move the needle a bit, the more they see that the people running the show have already done it. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

16 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

I'd retire. I'm not even kidding. It's a freaking joke

 

How old are you, and what is your profession?

 

The NFL is a business.  Yes, the players are playing a game, but at the end of the day, their NFL contracts are how they feed, not just themselves and their kids and wives or girlfriends, but often parents - maybe 2 sets of parents - and siblngs.    Sometimes the relatives develop businesses under the player's guidance managing his endorsements or merchandise deals or investments (sometimes that's a bad idea for the player, but again, another issue). 

 

Take Isaiah McKenzie, a young guy at the bottom end of the NFL wage scale.  He just opened a BBQ restaurant with a partner and at least one of his other friends works there or manages it.  Isaiah, who is earning essentially veteran minimum, has $350,000 guaranteed on this year's deal.   It's probably a pretty safe bet that the restaurant was remodeled and its initial operating funds came from a loan secured by McKenzie's NFL paycheck.    So now that's not just his partner and friend but a whole payroll of other people who would be impacted by a decision to walk away.

 

The point is for most of these guys, it's not just "I am personally offended by the NFL's protocols and vaccination policy therefore I shall take my ball and go home" that their professional business decisions (such as a decision to retire) affect, it's a whole web of people.

 

Picking on 'Lil Dirty, needs to be realized that even a minimum-salary guy like Zay is lined up to take home money this year that puts him in the top 0.1% of the US population.  (Not 1%, 0.1%).

 

A guy like Davis Webb, who spent most of the year on the practice squad and was active for one game at vet minimum, probably earned over $190,000 last season - which puts him in the top 11% of US household incomes.

 

I'm gonna guess that's not you.