Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard: 'Consequences' for players unvaccinated against COVID-19
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32128733/colts-gm-chris-ballard-players-unvaccinated-covid-19-take-care-team
Ballard, in his annual media session before the start of the regular season, spent a significant amount of time answering questions about a number of his players not being vaccinated after quarterback Carson Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and receiver Zach Pascal were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday after coming in close contact with a Colts staff member who tested positive.
"There's consequences to not being vaccinated," Ballard said. "Do I think everybody should be vaccinated? Absolutely. I'm for the vaccine. (Coach) Frank (Reich) is for the vaccine. We have a lot of guys on our team who are for the vaccine. Is it 100% perfect? No. But it's a good thing.
"It can help you from ending up in the hospital in a critical situation. And it helps stop some of the spread, and those are positive things. But for the guys who have chosen to not get vaccinated, they still understand they're still part of this team, it's their decision, but they're still part of our team and they have to take care of the team."
The Colts have had one of the lowest percentages of vaccinated players in the NFL. Ballard declined to say what that percentage is currently after trimming the roster down to 53 players Tuesday. Many players, including Wentz, have declined to say if they're vaccinated or why they chose not to be vaccinated.