Bruce Arians: 'If you want to go back to normal, get vaccinated'

Though the NFL is somewhat divided, Bruce Arians has a very simple idea as to how he could see things returning to normal.

According to a Mayo Clinic study, over 50 percent of Americans have received one dose of the COVID vaccine, and well over 40 percent of people have been fully vaccinated. In the NFL, for multiple reasons, there’s been a level of skepticism across the board as it pertains to taking said vaccine. That group includes players and other organizational members throughout the league. Bruce Arians, in light of Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera bringing in Harvard Immunologist Kizzmekia S. Corbett to ease their apparent trepidation, says the team doesn’t need a speaker to educate the Bucs on the matter.

“I’m the specialist,” the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach insisted. “If you wanna go back to normal, get vaccinated.”

He later added that the team is shooting to be at least 85-percent fully vaccinated.

An ESPN story notes that Arians went on to say that the Bucs are hosting a vaccine drive for players and their families at the team’s facility.

On Wednesday, Washington Football Team defensive end Montez Sweat, a.k.a. the dude from the Old Spice commercials, said he doesn’t plan on taking the COVID-19 vaccine, as of now.

“I’m not a fan of it,” he said in response to being asked his feelings on the team bringing in the aforementioned Harvard immunologist. “I probably won’t get vaccinated until we’ve got more facts and all that type of stuff. I’m not a fan of it at all.”

He later added, “I haven’t caught COVID yet, so I don’t see me treating COVID until I actually get COVID.”

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold, formerly of the New York Jets, also spoke on the vaccines yesterday, saying he’ll keep his preferences private, but then letting it slip: “I haven’t been vaccinated yet,” he admitted at the end of his media availability. “I’ve still got to think about all those certain things that go into it. It’s everyone’s choice whether they want to get vaccinated or not … I don’t wanna go too into detail.”

The same ESPN story also noted that Bucs outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and his wife Jordanna are fully vaccinated.

“It’s ‘to each their own.’ I recommend it,” Barrett offered earlier today. “I don’t know why people wouldn’t get it. But whatever makes you comfortable, whatever helps you sleep at night, you do that. But I would like for 85 percent of the team to be vaccinated.”