Earlier this week, Bill Belichick denied Cam Newton’s vaccination status played a role in the quarterback’s surprise release. But then Belichick went further, questioning the efficacy of vaccines in NFL players overall.
Now the NFL’s chief medical officer is pushing back.
In a recent interview with NFL Media, Dr. Allen Sills said the NFL’s data shows that unvaccinated players tested positive for the coronavirus at a significantly higher rate than vaccinated players.
“We released our data last week from the first three weeks of August, and that data has consistently shown higher rates of infection in unvaccinated players than in vaccinated players,” Sills told Judy Battista. “From a medical perspective, go to any major medical center in the country and as you walk around, those patients who are hospitalized, those who are in the ICU, you see the evidence the vaccines are working.”
On Wednesday, Belichick said there are large numbers of vaccinated players testing positive. “I would just point out that I don't know what the number is, but the number of players, coaches and staff members that have been affected by COVID in this training camp -- who have been vaccinated -- is a pretty high number,” he said. “So I wouldn't lose sight of that.”
The numbers show that Belichick is simply wrong. Between Aug. 1 — Aug. 21, the NFL had 68 positive results among 7,190 tests. Vaccinated players were positive at a rate of 0.3%, whereas unvaccinated players tested positive at a rate of 2.2% — seven times higher.
Belichick should take a look at the data again. In this case, the famously analytical head coach seems to be following his gut instead of the facts.
