NFLPA Director DeMaurice Smith Assures NFL Will Not Cut Line for Vaccines

MIAMI BEACH, FL - JANUARY 30: DeMaurice Smith the Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association speaks during the NFLPA press conference on January 30, 2020 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beack, FL. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

With many worried that the NFL will attempt to cut the line for COVID-19 vaccines when they become available, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has put those concerns to rest.

Speaking with members of the media Tuesday, Smith assured the league will not take valuable doses away from those who desperately need the protection most.

“Nobody should think about a vaccine going anywhere other than our first responders and our most vulnerable people right now,” Smith said in a zoom interview.

Smith also added that “football is not an essential business.”

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Multiple vaccines still await approval in the U.S., as the league is coming off the heals of its largest COVID-19 outbreak to date with the Baltimore Ravens.

The league and players’ association announced slightly improved, but still concerning testing data as well Tuesday, with 45 new positive cases of the virus determined last week.

Smith also said that the NFLPA has discussed the idea of bubbles for the upcoming playoffs, but that no decision has been made yet.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussed plans for the playoffs last week, but ruled out an NBA-style, single location bubble for the postseason. Each team would likely have their own individual bubbles, limiting contact with those beyond players and staff even further.

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