One of the major topics of discussion surrounding the Indianapolis Colts entering the 2021 season has been their low vaccination rate relative to the rest of the league. Among those players that are unvaccinated include quarterback Carson Wentz and linebacker Darius Leonard.
For the most part, unvaccinated players have avoided answering questions as to why they are unvaccinated. It is their choice, of course. But that choice does have consequences. In football terms, it could keep them from missing games simply because they are a close contact. Conversely, vaccinated players don’t have to quarantine if they are a close contact, according to NFL protocols.
On Thursday, both Wentz and Leonard spoke to the media about their reasons for being unvaccinated.
Wentz didn’t go into depth about his decision to remain unvaccinated, chalking it up to a personal decision.
“Yeah, trust me, it is a personal decision,” Wentz said Thursday. “I’m not going to go into depth on why but I will say it’s a personal decision for me and my family. I respect everybody else’s decision and I just ask that everybody does the same for me.”
Following protocols will be vital for the unvaccinated players, who are tested daily. Compare that to the vaccinated players, who now test once a week. It may even come to a point where the Colts must protect their unvaccinated stars even more so to ensure they will be available on game day and not sitting at home on the COVID-19 list.
As for Wentz, his thoughts on the matter do remain fluid. Even after being placed on the COVID-19 list as a close contact, Wentz is still unsure of what the future will hold.
“This has been a fluid process for me this whole time. It’s kind of where as a family we’ve just been monitoring everything that we can, letting it play out as long as we can, and this is where we’re at today and things could change in the next coming weeks – who knows,” said Wentz. “Who knows where this world’s going, who knows where the protocols are going, if that’ll change? I’m not going to act like I’m an expert on a vaccine or a virus or any of that. So that’s just where we’re at right now.”
For Leonard, who has one of the loudest voices in the locker room, he told the media he still needs more information to make his decision.
“I think that’s a personal decision of mine. I’m just a down south guy. I want to see more. I want to learn more. I want to get more educated about it. I’ve just got to think about it. I just don’t want to rush into it,” Leonard said. “I’ve got to see everything. I’m listening to all the vaccinated guys here. I’m not pro-vax or anti-vax. I’ve got to learn.”
Leonard cited not knowing the long-term effects of the vaccine as one of the reasons why he hasn’t received it to this point.
“You’ve got to make sure that you understand your decision, make sure you understand what’s going into your body and the long-term effects,” Leonard said. “I think once I get a grasp of it, just like a playbook, you’ve got to get comfortable with something before you can just go out and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to go out and put this in my body.’”
The Colts will enter the season with one of the lower vaccination rates in the NFL and even though the numbers may be on the rise, this will continue to be a topic of discussion. This will be especially true if an unvaccinated star misses a game.
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