Falcons coach Arthur Smith went with the soft sell in helping the team reach a 100% vaccinated rate.
“All we ever tried to do was to educate our guys and let them make their own choices,” Smith said Tuesday. “I’m not a pandering politician. We tried to give them the information. Told them to research it themselves, and that’s it.”
The players elected to take the shots that help guard against COVID-19.
“It’s really about those guys,” Smith said. “That’s the thing. We didn’t sit here and try to push or anything like that. We just gave them the facts, educate yourself, and those guys made the choices they made.”
The Falcons became the first NFL team to reach the 100% vaccination rate. Detroit also has reached 100%.
“There were protocols in place if you’re unvaccinated. You’re essentially using last year’s protocols,” Smith said. “If you are vaccinated, the protocols have changed a little bit. Obviously, the logistical things when you travel, certainly that will benefit us.”
