Dak tried to avoid answering the vaccination question by claiming it was a HIPAA violation to do so. It isn’t, by the way. It very much isn’t. At this point, a player dodging the question isn’t a new story nor is another fairly prominent player coming out against the vax a big surprise. Dak didn’t technically say he was vaxxed but at this point, if you avoid the question, it’s pretty obvious you probably aren’t getting the shot. People spent the day making HIPAA jokes and a good time was had by all. All it did was remind me of the time I lost respect for Adam Schefter.

Schefter came onto my radar in the late 2000’s because he always seemed to be right. He was aces for NFL network and I remember him breaking a lot of stories. He got hired by ESPN and kept up the same track record. He’s good at his job. But it didn’t take long for ESPN to corrupt the guy. He started giving speculation and analysis instead of just reporting. Then, he decided to be a bad reporter too, and somehow obtained JPP’s hospital file after JPP blew his fingers off. He tweeted out legitimate, confidential medical records so he could ensure he was the one who got the scoop. We would have found out what happened in detail anyway, but he had to be first and have the scoop. I don’t know how he obtained them, but the whole case was settled out of court later. A good reporter wouldn’t have done something like that. He should have gotten JPP’s permission or at least found a less invasive way to break the news besides just straight up sharing a picture of confidential medical information. Schefter is still good at his job and still one of the more trustworthy sources out there, but I can’t look at him the same way after that incident. As badly as we all wanted to know what was up with JPP that week, how we found out felt dirty. I hope he’s ashamed of how he handled that.

As for COVID NFL news, the league announced a new policy that if a breakout infection happens amongst unvaxxed players and a game is unable to be scheduled, the team will forfeit the game and none of the players will be paid. It’s a pretty big punishment and sends a clear message and if some players who got vaxxed lose a game check because of the ones that didn’t, that’s going to be a fight. It’s another way the shot really isn’t just a personal choice. Being protected affects everyone around you, now both monetarily and healthwise. The steep rule honeypotted a couple more players to reveal they are anti-vaxxers (Nuk and Leonard Fournette) and was generally a big topic of debate.

I’m fine with the new rule but mostly because I don’t think there is much chance of it happening. There was no vax and a ton of breakout infections last season and the NFL didn’t have to cancel any games. A few got moved around to weird times and the Broncos got fucked over with their QB situation but if the NFL could manage last season the chances of a breakout infection and the game not being able to get rescheduled feels pretty low. It feels mostly like the league is just sending the message to get the damn shot. I’m fine with that, but I don’t think anyone who did get the vax should lose a game check when they did their part. That’s probably my only gripe. But it might get some more players to get the shot thanks to peer pressure, so we’ll see.