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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was just recently activated off the COVID-19 list after his second bout with the virus over the past calendar year.
Jackson, 24, missed a game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers last season while battling the virus. At that time, the former NFL MVP had an eye-opening statement regarding the symptoms he was feeling. Jackson admitted that it hit him pretty hard.
Despite all of this, the star quarterback is not committed to getting the vaccine.
“I just got off the COVID list, so I’ve got to talk to my team doctors and try to see how they feel about it,” he said. “Keep learning as much as I can about it, and we’ll go from there,” Lamar Jackson told reporters on Monday.
The interesting dynamic here is that Jackson’s second bout with COVID-19 also seemingly hit him pretty hard.
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“I was just like last time, fatigued,” Jackson said. “I was sleeping a lot. But I’m glad to be back. Ten days off, I didn’t like it at all.”
Lamar Jackson and the NFL COVID-19 situation
The vaccine has been a pretty big point of contention when it comes to the NFL and its players. Some have openly pushed back against the tightening of COVID-19 protocols for the unvaccinated. Others continue to believe that the league is overreaching by potentially forcing teams into forfeits should an outbreak among the unvaccinated force the postponement of a game.
Meanwhile, some head coaches have decided to be outspoken about players who opt not to get vaccinated. For said coaches, it’s all about returning to some sense of normalcy. Others, including Washington Football Team’s Ron Rivera, have preexisting conditions and are in danger of falling seriously ill if they contract the virus.
As for Lamar Jackson, he has joined others in believing that getting the vaccine is a personal choice and shouldn’t be scrutinized by the media.
“I feel it’s a personal decision,” Jackson said. “I’m just going to keep my feelings to my family and myself. I’m focused on getting better right now. I can’t dwell on that right now … how everybody else feels. Just trying to get back to the right routine.”
That’s obviously debatable given that the unvaccinated can spread the virus to those who are at a higher risk of falling seriously ill from the virus.
Regardless, this remains a major point of contention around both the NFL and the broader American landscape. Don’t expect that to die down any time soon.