League won’t let teams cut nonvaccinated players
An NFL team can’t release a player simply because he is not vaccinated for COVID19, a person with direct knowledge of the league’s directive said on Friday.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane hypothetically suggested this week that he’d do so if it would provide more freedom within the team facilities for meetings and offseason programs.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league did not make the directive public. The NFL currently is formulating further plans and protocols for the offseason programs and training camp.
“A team may not release a player solely due to vaccination status,” the person said.
The league also is allowing vaccinated players to gather and interact with other such players away from club facilities. The same is true for staff members. But players and staff, including coaches, may not do so at this time, according to an NFL memo obtained by the AP.
Also being considered is allowing teams to stage training camp away from their home facility. Those clubs must submit a medical and protocol plan that demonstrates “how the club will comply with the NFLNFLPA COVID19 protocols at the proposed alternative location (including any hotels and transportation involved).”
A team’s plan will be subject to review and approval by the NFLNFLPA Joint COVID Medical Committee.
On Wednesday, Beane’s response was to a question about potentially cutting an unvaccinated player at the lower end of Buffalo’s 53man roster. It came when the NFL is loosening its restrictions for teams whose staff and players have been fully vaccinated.
“You guys saw it in the fieldhouse, we had three and four meetings going on, and sometimes you’re talking over each other. But it was the only way to pull it off and be social distant,” he said of NFL protocols limiting the number of players who could meet at one time. “So it would be an advantage to cut a player and fall under that umbrella” of less restrictive protocols.
Broncos’ James out: The Broncos placed right tackle Ja’Wuan James on the nonfootball injury list Friday, two days after he tore an Achilles tendon working out away from the team’s facilities, imperiling his paychecks for the upcoming season. Vikings add tight end: The Vikings have signed tight end Shane Zylstra out of the NCAA Division II program at Minnesota State that produced twotime Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen. Zylstra went undrafted in 2020 after finishing as the career leader for the Mavericks with career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.