NFL protocol for vaccinated, unvaccinated players differs vastly

The NFL has handed out its protocols for the 2021 season and the difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated players and personnel is huge. 

When the NFL made the decision to steadfastly go forward with last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to set forth a strict set of protocols that players and teams as a whole had to follow in order to, hopefully, make it through the year healthy. Now, there were obviously positive tests and some hiccups but, overall, the protocols appeared effective.

Having said that, the 2021 NFL season is going to offer a different set of challenges. Namely, the presence of the COVID-19 vaccine means that there is now going to be a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals throughout all 32 teams.

As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, the league and NFLPA passed a new set of protocols for the upcoming season. With that being said, there are two different sets, one for vaccinated and one for unvaccinated individuals.

What are the NFL protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals?

Here are the protocols for vaccinated players and personnel in the 2021 season:

• No daily testing will be required. Instead, they will be tested every other week.
• After a “high-risk exposure”, there will be no required quarantine period.
• Masks will not be required at team facilities or when traveling with the team.
• There will be no social distancing required with “other vaccinated individuals”.
• The weight room will not have a capacity limit.
• There are no travel, marketing event, or social restrictions.

In stark contrast, these are the protocols for unvaccinated individuals this year:

• Daily testing will still be enforced.
• High-risk exposures will result in a mandatory five-day quarantine period.
• Masks will be required at team facilities or when traveling.
• Social distancing will be enforced strictly with all other teammates, personnel members and so on.
• A 15-player limit will be enforced in the weight room among unvaccinated people.
• No leaving the hotel with people outside of their party, barred from marketing events and social gatherings as well.

Now, it should definitely be noted that the league is still not requiring players or personnel to get vaccinated, as also reported by Pelissero. With that said, it’s hard not to see the fact the league is also definitely incentivizing getting vaccinated at this point with the different restrictions put on unvaccinated players.

While the 2021 NFL season should be more of a return to normal than last year was, there are still going to be trials that the league and all 32 teams must navigate as it pertains to COVID-19. These new protocols are a prime example of that and it will be interesting to see how players and coaches alike react to them.