Jerry Jones says getting COVID-19 vaccine is about team accountability: 'We rely on each other to win'
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has become one of the NFL's biggest COVID-19 vaccine supporters. He wants his team to lead the NFL in vaccination percentage, not just because being vaccinated is a smart, safe thing to do, but because it makes it a lot less likely that Cowboys players will miss significant time due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. And that gives the Cowboys a better chance to win.
Jones is continuing to speak freely about the vaccine, which he did during his weekly interview with 105.9 The Fan on Tuesday. He emphasized that he wants the Cowboys to be an example of teamwork in the NFL and in society as a whole.
Jerry Jones on why he's so adamant about COVID-19 vaccine: "Everyone has a right to make their own decisions regarding their health & their body...until your decision as to yourself impacts negatively many others.
"We have got to check ‘I’ at the door & go forward with ‘we’." pic.twitter.com/82CHEwxbDd— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 24, 2021
Jones was also asked what he would say to players like Cole Beasley, who are adamantly refusing to get the vaccine and say that the NFL is forcing the vaccine on them.
“I don’t really say anything here. To me, this is a team game. We rely on each other to play. We rely on each other to win. We have to have each other. There’s 11 guys out there at any one time to be trite about it. And you have to count on the other guy being available. And you certainly don’t want to be doing anything that causes your teammates to not be available. All of that comes to the same conclusion as far as what you agreed to be as far as a player, be a part of a team."
Jones: Getting vaccinated is about team accountability
Jones made it clear that for him, getting the vaccine is about making sure you're there for your team when they need you. But if training camp has been any indication, teams will be having problems with that all season.
For example, the New England Patriots have been without QB Cam Newton this week due to a "misunderstanding" with his daily COVID-19 testing, which is only required for unvaccinated players. The Buffalo Bills will reportedly be without four players, including Beasley, for five days this week because they had close contact with a team trainer who tested positive. Unvaccinated players who have close contact with someone who tests positive are required to have five days of negative tests before they're allowed to return to the team facility.
Not even the Cowboys have been immune. They're missing CeeDee Lamb and three other players, as well as a coach, due to COVID-19 protocols. The entire team has been operating virtually since the weekend.
The Cowboys announced Saturday that 93 percent of their players are vaccinated. Jerry likely won't rest until that number climbs to 100.
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