Seth Udinski, FISM News

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According to reports from ESPN, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer made comments Tuesday that led many to believe he took into consideration his player’s vaccination status as criteria for whether or not certain players would make the team’s final 53-man roster. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has opened an investigation into the comments. Meyer tried to defend himself, emphasizing that he did not cut players who were unvaccinated but only that the vaccination status of players were considered.

Everyone was considered. That was part of the [considerations such as] production, let’s start talking about this, and also is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration.

The NFL itself is to blame for this messy situation, having unnecessarily implemented numerous incentives for vaccinated players that are unavailable for those who have not received the jab. Despite this, the Jaguars released a statement Wednesday claiming innocence in the situation. The team said it did not cut any players based on their vaccination status:

Availability is one of the many factors taken into account when making roster decisions. We have vaccinated and unvaccinated payers on our roster, and no player was released because of their vaccination status. Ultimately, decisions are based on a player’s ability to help the Jaguars win. We educate our players and respect personal decisions as it pertains to the vaccine.

The Jaguars play their first regular season game of the 2021 season on Sunday September 12 at 1:00 EST against the Houston Texans, where phenom rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence will make his first NFL start.