Getty Jalen Ramsey lines up against the Atlanta Falcons in his first game as a Los Angeles Ram in 2019.
The NFL’s new COVID-19 ruling instituted on Thursday afternoon certainly sparked a conversation among fans and players. And already not one to shy away from having an opinion, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey posted his own reaction via a series a tweets.
The short version of the memo sent from the league office states that teams could face forfeited games and financial loss if there’s a coronavirus outbreak within the team. The long version of the memos can be read via Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
Here’s more from today’s memo, which also says the team responsible for a canceled game because of an outbreak among unvaccinated players/staff will be responsible for financial losses and subject to potential discipline from the commissioner. Wow.
The ruling is clearly sending the message that NFL players and coaches/executives who haven’t been vaccinated should be vaccinated, and the league hopes there’s no repeat of last year where games had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19 cases.
The verbose Ramsey then fired off his own opinion through a series of tweets.
‘No Pressure From 5’
Ramsey revealed that not everyone on the Rams received their COVID-19 vaccination. He responded to this tweet from quarterback trainer Quincy Avery.
Ramsey doubled down in a subsequent tweet, saying he’ll look at his unvaccinated Ram teammates the same way he looks at his vaccinated teammates.
Just because my teammate(s) personally decide not to get the vaccine, I won’t think they are a bad teammate. That’s all 😂
It’s all love 🤟🏾
Ramsey then informed his followers that even if one receives the shot, the threat of contracting COVID-19 still exists.
… whether you are vaccinated or not, there is still a chance of getting covid.
I thought my point was simple but I guess not lol
As it is, Los Angeles County (where SoFi Stadium is located) is where indoor mask mandates went back into effect on July 17 due to the spread of the new delta variant. Ramsey’s tweets were given a mixed reaction from people online: Some throwing their support to others questioning why Ramsey would tweet a statement like this. He tried to clarify here.
And finally, there was this social media reaction from Ramsey from a post done by Arizona Cardinals wide receiver De’Andre Hopkins. Who, too, captured attention through the league’s coronavirus ruling.
But before the “freedom” tweet, Hopkins sent this out at approximately 12:50 p.m. PT, which hinted that his NFL days were numbered. He has since deleted the posting. But Pro Football Focus’s Ari Meirov managed to capture it.
DeAndre Hopkins with a big statement on today’s news…
How Will the 2021 Season Shape Up Given the New Ruling?
Last season, the Rams had a combined seven coronavirus cases between November and December, with five occurring on the eve of their road game against the New York Jets.
In late November, the Rams had to cancel one practice before a rivalry game against the San Francisco 49ers after two cases, including one staff member, contracted the virus.
After navigating through the 2020 season without the vaccine, plus after originally encouraging players to get the COVID-19 shots, the league has now shifted course with the Thursday posting requiring vaccinations. NFL commissioner released this statement through the memo:
“These operating principles are designed to allow us to play a full season in a safe and responsible way, and address possible competitive or financial issues fairly. While there is no question that health conditions have improved from last year, we cannot be complacent or simply assume that we will be able to play without interruption.”
According to the NFL Network’s Judy Battista, more than 78% of NFL players have received at least one shot and 14 teams have 85% of their players vaccinated. It is currently unknown if the Rams are among the verified 14.
But as for Ramsey, he has not only thrown his support of teammates who haven’t received their shots, but liked this tweet from Matt Overton of the Tennessee Titans.
How can the @nfl prove that an outbreak was caused by an unvaccinated player?