When Cam Newton was first asked about his vaccination status earlier this month, he said the question was too personal to answer.
Now we’re finding out why it isn’t. In the Covid era, unvaccinated players face stricter restrictions than their vaccinated peers, putting their teams at competitive disadvantages. Newton and the Patriots are seeing that first-hand.
On Monday, the Patriots announced Newton would be unavailable for practice this week due to a misinterpretation of NFL policies. The team says Newton traveled to a club-approved medical appointment outside of New England on Saturday, leading to a mix up over league-mandated Covid testing. He’s now required to undergo a re-entry period, which only applies to unvaccinated players.
“Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility,” the statement says. “Cam will continue participating virtually in team activities and return to the club facility on Thursday, August 26.”
This news seemingly confirms Newton is unvaccinated, since NFL rules say players who are “not fully vaccinated must undergo a daily ‘re-entry’ testing period prior to re-entering a club facility.” The process takes five days, assuming all tests are negative.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that Bill Belichick should consider his quarterbacks’ vaccination statuses when picking his starter. I was excoriated on social media (nothing new for me), with hundreds of Cam Newton fanatics accusing me of prying into his personal business. Ben Volin of the Globe, who asked Newton the vaccine question, was also criticized.
But we were right. Newton was enjoying his best stretch of training camp, including an impressive 8-for-9 performance against the Eagles, in which the one-time MVP threw for 103 yards and a touchdown. It seemed like he had a steady grip on the starting job; Josh McDaniels even said Newton is the Patriots’ starting QB “right now.”
Now that’s up in the air. While missing three days of training camp isn’t a doomsday scenario, it could be a harbinger of what’s to come. What if Newton violates testing protocols during the season, or worse, contracts Covid-19 and spreads it to other players? Then the rules are even harsher.
Covid-19 outbreaks among unvaccinated players could lead to teams forfeiting games, according to league policy.
For NFL players, getting vaccinated isn’t just a personal decision. It’s a choice that could hamper their teammates. That’s why more than 90% of NFL players are fully vaccinated — far above the nationwide figure of 70% of adults with at least one shot.
Months ago, Bills general manager Brandon Beane came under fire for suggesting he would release an unvaccinated player on the roster bubble. While the NFL probably didn’t approve of Beane saying the private part out loud, other executives likely feel the same way. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports he’s seen team’s free-agent boards that have unvaccinated players marked as such.
Covid played a role in torpedoing the Patriots’ lousy 2020 campaign, as Newton wasn’t the same player after recovering from his bout with the virus. He posted an 89.7 QB rating through his first three games. After that, it was 83.5.
Newton even said he “felt stagnant in his thought process” upon returning to the field. Now, he’s seemingly putting himself in jeopardy again. A new study from the CDC says vaccines remain 80% effective against infections even after six to eight months, and prevent hospitalization 92 to 95% of the time.
But look: I’m not here to opine from my soap box about why getting vaccinated is the best thing people can do to protect themselves from Covid-19. That’s a personal choice.
Unfortunately, Newton’s apparent choice is affecting the football team. That’s a problem.
