The Jaguars want the NFL to know Urban Meyer’s vaccination comments weren’t correct.
Meyer made waves in the NFL when he stated that vaccination status was taken into account when trimming the roster, which is prohibited. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“Everyone was considered. That was part of the production, let’s start talking about this and also, ‘Is he vaccinated or not?’ Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration,” Meyer explained, according to The Associated Press.
NFLPA investigating Urban Meyer’s comments that vaccine status played role in roster decisions for Jaguars. https://t.co/NCfHMtdiUu
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) September 1, 2021
However, the Jaguars have made it clear Meyer’s comments weren’t correct. According to SB Nation, the team released the following statement Wednesday:
Availability is one of the many factors taken into account when making roster decisions. We have vaccinated and unvaccinated players on our roster, and no player was released because of their vaccination status. Ultimately, decisions are based on a player’s ability to help the Jaguars win. We educate our players and respect personal decisions as it pertains to the vaccine. We want to keep our players, staff and families safe as we comply with protocols related to both health and safety and competition on game days.
With the NFLPA breathing down Jacksonville’s neck and launching an investigation in reaction to Meyer’s comments, it’s not hard to understand why the team released this statement.
What other choice did the Jaguars have? The NFL doesn’t allow players to be cut because of vaccination status, and Jacksonville had to make it clear that didn’t happen.
Worth noting that Jacksonville will be in the top five teams with the most unvaccinated players on its roster, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2021
Now, did it actually happen behind closed doors? That’s probably something we’ll never fully know the answer to.
Meyer came out and said what he said, and the team already backtracked. At this point, I wouldn’t expect to get much more information.
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Hopefully, Meyer learned his lesson about giving away too much information and doesn’t do it again!