Atlanta Falcons Become The First & Only Fully Vaccinated Team

The Atlanta Falcons Become The First And Only Fully Vaccinated Team

As the new football season approaches, the NFL has continued to place strong regulations on players who are unvaccinated. As some players and coaches have decided to take a fine instead of the vaccine, The Atlanta Falcons stand as the first and only fully vaccinated team.

In a statement released on Monday, the organization announced,

“The Falcons reached a 92-percent vaccination rate on July 23, and now have every player on the roster protected against COVID-19,”

The statement continued with,

“Each player will now enjoy the benefits of being able to work out and eat together. They won’t have to test daily, won’t have to wear masks around the facility and won’t have to quarantine following a close contact with someone who tests positive,”

But although the Atlanta Falcons are the only fully vaccinated team, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s medical director, feels they are having an excellent start with 80% of NFL players being vaccinated.

Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley recently made headlines when he called unvaccinated people “aholes” and wanting sports leagues to make the vaccine mandatory.

During an interview Barkley stated,

“Can you imagine if one of these guys that are not vaccinated, if they get one of these players’ kids, wives, girlfriends, moms and dads sick and they die over some unnecessary conspiracy bulls**t? I think that would be tragic.”

Charles Barkley

But with cities like NYC requires proof of vaccination for indoor dinning, concerts, and gyms the vaccine could become mandatory for upcoming seasons as NFL officials have warned teams that if an outbreak occurs amongst unvaccinated players, the team would have to forfeit the game. Additionally, unvaccinated players will continue daily Covid-19 testing, cannot eat with team members, attend social events, and have limited access to team equipment.

Last year, the season was extended due to outbreaks of the Covid-19 virus and NFL officials have warned that they will not have a 19-week season due to outbreaks.

Do you think the vaccine should be mandatory for pro-athletes? Let us know in the comments.