WASHINGTON — The Washington Football Team said that three players have been placed on the National Football League's Reserve/COVID-19 list, according to the team in a statement on Thursday from training camp in Richmond.
Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, cornerback Chris Miller and wide receiver Curtis Samuel are the three players on this list.
Washington was one of two teams under 50% vaccinated in mid-July. Offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas was placed on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list Tuesday.
The league sent a memo to teams Thursday telling them that an outbreak among non-vaccinated players could lead to forfeits with players on both teams not getting paid.
Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick gave insight into how he is talking to his teammates about getting the vaccine, as well as how his own family, including seven kids, are dealing with vaccinations and mask-wearing with a return to the classroom happening this fall.
"I'm gonna respect whatever you do," he said. "You're making a decision because you think it is best for you and your family. You know, beautiful. And my personal decision may be different than that."
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said he believed Washington now has over half the players in camp fully vaccinated. The NFL last week said 80% of players have started the vaccination process and that 27 of 32 teams had at least 70% of players either receive one vaccination shot or both.
Washington is not one of them though — with numbers actually closer to 60% — and it has caused Rivera to take precautions.
“I’m truly frustrated,” Rivera said at his camp-opening news conference. “I’m beyond frustrated. One of the reasons I walked in with a mask on is I’m immune-deficient, so with this new variant, who knows? So when I’m in a group and the group’s not vaccinated or there’s a mixture, I put the mask on, and I do that for health reasons.”
Coming off an NFC East title at 7-9 and a loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay in the wild-card round, Rivera's message to players is that “it's go time.” That could include going to get a vaccine shot given the concern about rising virus rates for those who have not been inoculated.
“The thing that still looms over our head unfortunately is the whole COVID situation,” Rivera said. "As a football team, as individuals, we have to understand what’s truly at stake in terms of opportunities going forward, and we’ll see. We’ll see how it all unfolds, and to some degree, this tells us a little about us.”