Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is “beyond frustrated” with his team’s vaccination rate. Washington entered training camp with a 60% vaccination rate among players, which is the lowest among all 32 NFL teams, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
On the eve of Washington’s first training camp practice, Rivera addressed the situation extensively with reporters.
“I’m truly frustrated. I’m beyond frustrated. Part of the reason I walk in with a mask on is I’m immune-deficient,” Rivera said per Jhabvala. “I just hope that our guys can understand that.”
Rivera has been particular with the measures the team has gone through. In August 2020, Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. He underwent treatment throughout the season during the coronavirus pandemic. He was deemed cancer-free in January.
Last season, Washington had the fewest number of positive tests for COVID-19 in the league. The two tests occurred why the players were not on the active roster. One test came at the start of training camp (Logan Thomas). The other, Matt Ioanndis, came while he was on injured reserve.
“I think it’s frustrating, especially last we were the No. 1 against COVID,” Rivera added.
In June, Rivera brought in specialists during mini-camp to educate the players and address their concerns about the vaccination. Some of the team’s players remained skeptical, including defensive end Montez Sweat, who was adamant about not agreeing with the team’s approach.
Rivera called the lack of vaccines a “huge disadvantage” for the team. The NFL has introduced strict coronavirus protocols for non-vaccinated players. The league also mandated that teams could forfeit games that are unable to be played due to an outbreak among unvaccinated players.
“The thing they got to understand is with the rules, you’re risking not just your paycheck but others’ paycheck,” Rivera said per Jhabvala.
