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There were 262 COVID-19 cases among players and
463 among personnel detected between August 1 and the end of
January, out of more than 950,000 COVID-19 tests administered,
causing several schedule delays but no outright cancellations
during the season.
Asked whether the league would require vaccination when players
and staff become eligible, Sills said it was too soon to say.
"As it becomes our turn, if you will, I think that we will
certainly have those conversations, and we will make sure
whether it's players, coaches, staff, everyone that's eligible
and enabled to be vaccinated has that opportunity," he told
reporters.
Like Major League Baseball (MLB), the NFL has said it has no
plans to cut the line to get its players early access to
vaccines, which are being rolled out in phases across the United
States, with frontline workers and vulnerable populations
getting priority.
"These vaccines are incredibly safe. They are amazingly
effective," said Sills.
The NFL closes out its season Sunday, with a matchup between the
hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the reigning Super Bowl
champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Mask-wearing, social distancing and other safety measures will
be in place inside Raymond James Stadium, where a limited crowd
of 22,000 attendees will include 7,500 vaccinated healthcare
workers who were given free tickets.
"Part of the reason... that we have these 7,500 vaccinated
healthcare workers here in Tampa (is) because we want to
highlight how important we think it is, while we also thank them
for their service over the course of the past year," said Sills.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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