The Minnesota Vikings invited a renowned infectious disease expert to speak to the team about the COVID-19 vaccine.
With the Vikings’ ranking toward the bottom of the NFL in player vaccinations, the presumed goal of the visit by Dr. Michael Osterholm on Monday was to convince players that the vaccine is safe.
“Some of the questions that were asked are things that you hear on the internet and things like that,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday. “Like he said, he was going to be 100 percent honest; if he knows the answer he’ll tell it, if he didn’t know it, he would tell it as well. I think he did a terrific job and hopefully it helps.
“I just care about these players and I care about their families. That’s my main reason. If they miss a game because they get COVID, so be it. But I don’t want them to get sick, I don’t want their families to get sick, their kids to get sick or my grandkids to get sick.” – Zimmer pic.twitter.com/ff565UYcHr
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 23, 2021
“I just care about these players and I care about their families. That’s my main reason. If they miss a game because they get COVID, so be it. But I don’t want them to get sick, I don’t want their families to get sick, their kids to get sick or my grandkids to get sick,” Zimmer said.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is the highest profile Viking to not get vaccinated. He missed time during training camp in quarantine after rookie quarterback Kellen Mond tested positive for COVID-19.
Former offensive line coach Rick Dennison was reassigned to senior offensive advisor after he refused to get vaccinated. Dennison was also the team’s run game coordinator the past two seasons.
The NFL requires that all Tier 1 staff, which includes coaches, scouts, equipment managers and team executives, to be fully vaccinated. Players do not have the same rule but will be under restrictive COVID-19 protocols if they are unvaccinated.
–Field Level Media