In a report that came out in the middle of June, the Indianapolis Colts were among the teams with the lowest vaccination rates entering the summer. All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner isn’t among the players who haven’t received the vaccination.
Buckner, who missed a crucial game against the Titans in 2020 due to a positive COVID-19 test, said on The Rich Eisen Show that the decision to get vaccinated was pretty easy to make.
“Going through all those protocols; testing every day, having that social distancing, the virtual stuff, wearing a mask every day in the facility — I was just tired of it. I just wanted to go about my daily life and try to have some type of normalcy,” Buckner said. “There’s obviously perks and setbacks with the rules and regulations that the league is coming out with, with being vaccinated and not being vaccinated. I just thought mentally, for me, it was the right decision for myself.”
General manager Chris Ballard said the team won’t require vaccinations. They will encourage getting them, but Ballard is leaving the decisions up to his players.
The Colts saw firsthand what it’s like when a player misses a game due to a positive COVID-19 test or a close contact to one. That blowout loss to the Titans should be all the evidence they need to show what kind of risk they run by not getting vaccinated.
But since it’s not mandatory, the decision is rightly up to the players.
It will be interesting to see if more Colts get the vaccination after seeing the difference in protocols and with a leader like Buckner getting it, it wouldn’t be a surprise if more players followed suit.
