The NFL informed clubs today that team employees who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine will not have full access to the team facility or be able to work directly with players (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Only employees with “bona fide medical or religious ground” will be considered exempt from the rule. Otherwise, non-vaccinated employees will not be granted Tier 1 or Tier 2 status.
The full memo from the league office outlines additional protocols for clubs. For instance, teams will be required to report their number of vaccinated employees on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, the league is still in talks with the NFLPA to determine the thresholds and milestones at which protocols on testing, PPE, and travel can be relaxed.
Throughout the offseason, commissioner Roger Goodell has said that the league will take a gradual approach as things return to normal. In addition to urging as many people as possible to get the vaccine, Goodell indicated that he’ll keep other safeguards in place.
“Virtual meetings have now become standard in the NFL; we are not going to have as much (in-person) meetings when we get back,” Goodell said in March. “I think technology is something we have embraced and will make us better.”
For a second I thought they were going to make people get the vaccine but I’m glad they aren’t and giving rules to ones that won’t take it . It only fair
Yeah, I’m not anti-vaccine by any measure. I do understand some people’s concerns, though. There is no easy answer here, and the NFL is probably doing the best they can in a difficult situation.
I might’ve went with a different headline here though because I thought the same thing until I read the article.
Luckily for the NFL, as a private business, they are equally within their rights to ask employees to get vaccinated in 2021 as they were to ask employees to not kneel in 2016.
Um… I don’t know. I’m not a legal expert, but the two situations feel different. The NFL aren’t medical professionals, so that’s a real slippery slope. You might be right, I don’t know? I’m not anti-vax, but I know I would never let an employer make a decision I disagreed with relating to my body.
Employers routinely make decisions regarding their employees bodies. See policies regarding drug use, drinking on the job, etc.
Not the same. One is forced, the others are not. Try again, Gruber.
I mean yes and no, Forwhomjoshbelltolled. They prohibit drinking and other things at work because you’d possibly be unproductive and/or unsafe. I’ve never heard of a job where you can’t go home and have a drink off the clock. It’s not a decision with health in mind, even if it does kinda impact your body.
Then don’t work there. Employers do have the legal right to require vaccine. Only way to avoid it is due to health reasons or religious.
They can not make you get a vaccine. That’s against constitutional rights
You do not have a constitutional right to be employed by the NFL.
However if they can judge whether or not your religion is “worthy” of an excuse then yes that is indeed constitutional and the aclu should be all over it.
What if a muslim or a jew said they couldn’t due to religion and the nfl said no? Adl and the aclu would be on it
Herecomedatboi: Perhaps you should leave the legal arguments for those who know what they are talking about. You’re embarrassing yourself.
Also what the f happened to “my body my rules” libs love that one.
“Also what the f happened to “my body my rules” libs love that one.”
So, now you oppose the government making rules to preserve human life?
So, when it’s just you inconveniencing women, each single human life is sacrosanct, BUT the second you are inconvenienced in any way shape or form, a half million can drop dead for all you care.
Got it.
But, hey, good job pointing out 1/500,000th of that hypocrisy in others, I guess.
I’ve had covid, have you?
erm…congrats?
@Appalachian_Outlaw, the federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated when asked that private businesses are able to demand vaccinations and proof of vaccinations for their workers. There must be an exception though for those who refuse to get vaccinated due to “religious or medical reasons”. That’s why that exception is here.
The justification is the legal obligation for businesses to provide a safe working environment. Of course, this will be challenged in court, but as of now unless the circuit courts or supreme courts say otherwise private businesses do have this power.
Here we go with vaccine mandates. They won’t force it but If you don’t get one you can’t participate. Which is the same thing
No shoes, no shirt, no service.
Not remotely the same
Actually, for non player employees, if they do not get a vaccine, they can not work if they have to be in the team facilities to to their jobs.
HIPPA
HIPAA***
HIPAA only covers what can be shared to others regarding your medical history without your consent. HIPAA does not apply to this situation unless the NFL would publish the names of employees and say what their vaccination status was.
I wonder why no one cares about HIPAA when it comes to injury reports. Lol that’s more of HIPAA violation.
Sounds like the free market at work in a free society, yet you’re oddly complaining about it. The NFL is well within their rights here and if you don’t like it, find another job.
Unless you want Big Government to come in and tell this business what they’re allowed to require of their employees?
the employees but not the players? doesnt make much sense.
Last week there were articles that the players didn’t have to get the shots; now this?
There shouldn’t be any exemptions. If they can’t do the job as required they need to do something else…..
Strongly disagree. If someone has a health or religious reason for not wanting the vaccine, they shouldn’t become unemployed. I don’t think the NFL is out of bounds to change their job function, but your opinion is rather extreme.
Players are not required to get the vaccine but other employees are if they want to have full access to the team facilities. I just do not understand how that makes the team and therefore the league any safer. Any team could still have numerous players who refuse to get the vaccine and still have the team facilities shut down and games postponed and/or canceled if unvaccinated players test positive for the virus during the upcoming season. Different rules for different employees will not make the games any safer.
The funny thing is, hospitals do not make COVID-19 vaccines yet for their employees. Have several relatives that work with different hospital systems. All recommend getting the vaccine but they do not require them. Many are with non union facilities so there is no collective bargaining agreement to deal with if they wanted to require anything. I get where the league has the right to make it’s rules to operate but are we not supposed to go with science when we make rules? I would think that Hospitals would be the leaders in going with medical science. If they do not require vaccinations for employees, the science must be telling us that we should not be requiring the vaccine to work in other businesses
** hospitals do not make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory yet for their employees……
F that
NFL playing with fire here. They are within their rights to require employees to get vaccinated but at the same time they are opening themselves up to a lot of liability if something goes wrong or if employees get some sort of long term health issue that turns out to be related to the vaccine they will be swamped with lawsuits. My company has not mandated vaccines but instead has offered rewards to those who get them ( basically a paid day off to get the shot and a paid day off the day after ). They even threw me a bone and gave me a days pay even though I scheduled my appt on a saturday.
Masseuses will continue to be exempt from NFL rules.
Simple, just “convert” to whatever religion doesn’t allow vaccines for a year or two if you don’t want one until the old/unhealthy people plauge blows over.
Big pharma is free from liability forever. The companies that coerce or force their employees to take these experimental gene therapies may not be.