Jacksonville Jaguars release statement following comments by Urban Meyer
Following Urban Meyer’s comments on factoring vaccination status into roster cuts, the Jacksonville Jaguars released a statement on the matter.
The statement from the Jacksonville Jaguars follow Meyer’s comments reads as follows.
“Availability is one of the many factors taken into account when making roster decisions. We have vaccinated and unvaccinated players on our roster, and no player was released because of their vaccination status. Ultimately, decisions are based on a player’s ability to help the Jaguars win. We educate our players and respect personal decisions as it pertains to the vaccine. We want to keep our players, staff and families safe as we comply with protocols related to both health and safety and competition on game days.”
As NFL teams trimmed their rosters, many believed the difference between making the roster and being cut for a fringe player could have been their vaccination status. While many factors go into consideration, Meyer was the one to publicly state it.
“It was certainly in consideration.”
After rosters were cut down to 53 players yesterday, Meyer stated that vaccination status went into the process
“Everyone was considered,” Meyer said, per ESPN.. “That was part of the [considerations such as] production, let’s start talking about this, and also is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration.”
Following, the NFLPA’s George Atallah stated his concern. Atallah, the assistant executive director for external affairs for the NFLPA, told ESPN via email that Meyer’s statements will lead to an investigation.
“This is a concern and we are going to look into it,” stated Atallah.
While it’s been highly publicized as a possibility, Meyer is the first person in the NFL to let the cat out of the bag. Following the reaction league-wide, don’t expect many more decision makers to come forward.
Urban Meyer and the Jaguars cut 24 players on Tuesday, including wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and safety Jarrod Wilson. Earlier this summer, Wilson was spotted wearing a mask before entering the team facility since the start of camp.
Under NFL COVID-19 protocols, all unvaccinated players must wear masks in the facility while vaccinated players do not.