NFL teams who have a COVID-19 outbreak will be forced to forfeit their games if they cannot be rescheduled within the current 18-week schedule, according to a memo obtained by The Athletic.
The forfeiting team will be credited with a loss that will ultimately affect playoff seedings, according to the memo from commissioner Roger Goodell. The league does not anticipate adding a "19th week" to accommodate games.
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"If a game cannot be rescheduled within the current 18-week schedule and is canceled due to a COVID outbreak among non-vaccinated players on one of the competing teams, the club with the outbreak will forfeit the contest and will be deemed to have played 16 games for purposes of draft, waiver priority, etc," Goodell said in the memo. "For the purposes of playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be credited with a win."
On Friday, Dr. Allan Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, released the league's vaccination data through this week. Sills said 80 percent of all players have begun the vaccination process. Across the NFL, nine teams are at a 90 percent vaccination rate or higher, and five teams have less than 70 percent.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a videoconference with local media on Thursday that not getting vaccinated would make for a tougher season and vaccinations are necessary to keep everyone safe.
"You can get into the debate club all you want, but logic has it," Isray said. "You get vaccinated."
But the news of protocols for the 2021 season was not universally well-received.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Deandre Hopkins said in a now-deleted tweet that he was now questioning his future in the NFL.
"Never thought I would say this, But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the NFL," he said.
After deleting his original statement, Hopkins tweeted "Freedom?"
Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette also tweeted in light of the NFL's new policies, saying he wouldn't get the vaccine.
"Vaccine I can't do it…….," Fournette said.
Multiple games were postponed last season due to the pandemic. Teams were also forced to play with limited personnel due to outbreaks and contact tracing. In November, all four Denver Broncos quarterbacks were ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols.
GO DEEPERThe topic of COVID-19 vaccinations, a touchy one for NFL player agents and their clients, takes on greater relevanceGO DEEPERFacing forfeits: How the NFL is applying pressure to players, teams over vaccinationsHow important is this?
Lindsay Jones, senior NFL writer: The NFL previously laid out the public health arguments and the individual incentives for vaccination; now the league is making the competitive advantage argument in a significant way.
The prospect of forfeits was on the table in 2020, but the NFL never got close to exercising it, as the league went to great lengths to accommodate teams in the middle of active outbreaks by delaying or rescheduling games.
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Now the NFL is saying it believes outbreaks among unvaccinated players can be prevented, so the directive is clear: Get vaccinated, or might cost you on the field.
The impact and teams' reactions
Jones: All coaches want is to get back to football as close to normal as possible and to minimize on-field disruptions. I heard there were multiple teams already making the case to their players during the offseason program as to why getting vaccinated would give them a competitive advantage (or, if nothing else, being unvaccinated would be a disadvantage), and now they have the league reinforcing that idea.
So for coaches and teams personnel, this league directive should be well received because it makes the competitive rules fairly clear and consistent. One of the biggest issues in 2020 was how outbreaks unfairly impacted some teams more than others; now, if teams are penalized because their players aren't vaccinated, it will be their own fault and shouldn't impact other teams as significantly.
Is the NFL giving teams cover to cut unvaccinated players?
Jones: The league will continue to say that general managers and coaches can't cut a player because of his vaccination status, but it would be naive to think that for players on the roster bubble, it won't be a factor.
This shouldn't impact someone like Sam Darnold, who in June said he was not vaccinated; he'll be the Panthers' starting quarterback no matter what. But a third-string quarterback or a No. 5 wide receiver or depth linebacker or special teams player? It has to be part of the overall calculus.
(Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
