Washington All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff and offensive tackle David Sharpe both were placed on COVID-19 reserve on Saturday, coach Ron Rivera announced Saturday.
Since the start of training camp earlier this week, six Washington players have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Receiver Curtis Samuel, defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and defensive back Chris Miller are the other players on the COVID reserve list.
As of Monday, only about 60 percent of Washington’s roster had received the COVID-19 vaccine, among the lowest rate for NFL teams.
Washington’s entire coaching staff is vaccinated, but because so many of his players aren’t, Rivera has continued to wear a mask around the team’s facility.
“I’m truly frustrated. I’m beyond frustrated. Part of the reason I walk in with a mask on is I’m immune-deficient,” said Rivera, a cancer survivor. “I just hope that our guys can understand that.”
Rivera said that he hoped that players will change their stances and get vaccinated, possibly as soon as Sunday.
“We’ll see tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re hoping we can get some more guys vaccinated,” Rivera told multiple media outlets following Washington’s final training camp practice in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. “We’ll see. It’s a difficult topic. I’ve tried to broach it a lot of our players, talked with a lot of our guys that haven’t. Again, it’s a personal thing, but hopefully — we can sway them, hopefully.”
The NFL is intensifying its efforts to coax players into receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, laying out strict protocols that will penalize teams should a coronavirus outbreak among unvaccinated players put the league’s schedule in jeopardy.
–Field Level Media