Half of the NFL’s 32 teams have 51 or more players who are fully vaccinated or in the process of becoming fully vaccinated, according to NFL Network, and more than half of all players have received at least one shot.
Meanwhile, NFL coaching staffs and team personnel are much closer to full vaccination. Thirty of the league’s teams have Tier 1 and 2 personnel at vaccination rates of 95 percent or higher, while the other remaining two teams are between 90 and 95 percent vaccinated.
Tier 1 includes coaches and football personnel whose job requires direct access to players for extended periods of time. Tier 2 consists of additional personnel who may come in contact with players or other Tier 1 employees.
Other NFL vaxx stats so far:
30 teams have 95%+ Tier 1/2 staff vaccinated; the other two are 90%+
16 teams have 51+ players fully vaccinated or in the process
No surprise player vaccinations have lagged behind staff. NFL, NFLPA continue to talk on COVID protocols for camp.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 15, 2021
In April, the NFL mandated all Tier 1 and 2 employees get vaccinated unless they had “bona fide” exemptions, with the goal of relaxing COVID-19 protocols and allowing these employees to enter restricted areas.
By comparison, Major League Baseball and its player union announced Friday that 22 clubs had reached the 85 percent coronavirus vaccination threshold among Tier 1 individuals.
–Field Level Media