ASHBURN — Ron Rivera pushed back against vaccine misinformation in a recent article and doubled down on his comments when speaking to reporters Monday. The Washington coach said he was concerned the country was “sliding backwards” as COVID-19 cases have surged in recent weeks due to the Delta variant.
Rivera told Sports Illustrated that he blamed “f—— a—-” for spreading false information, including “one specific news agency” that has uncredible guests on to talk about how vaccines “don’t work.” He said the wrong information was “leading people to die” and said players were relying too much on information from their cell phones rather than seeking out credible sources.
Asked about the comments, Rivera said he spoke on the matter because of the rising rates around the country.
“You get concerned that we are sliding backwards,” Rivera said. “Just because when the vaccine started you saw everything drop. The infectious rate, it was all dropping. Then, all of a sudden, we got comfortable. We have to be careful about getting comfortable.”
Washington initially had a tough time convincing players to get vaccinated. Only 60% of the team’s players had received at least one dose of the vaccine as of late July. But those numbers have climbed in recent weeks with the rate now above 85%. Rivera pushed players to get vaccinated, telling reporters that he’s immune-deficient after battling cancer.
Washington’s players have largely avoided discussing publicly why they refused to get vaccinated — saying it was a “personal choice.”
Wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden said he originally figured he did not need the vaccine after catching the virus in March 2020, but has since changed his mind. Defensive end Montez Sweat said in June that he still needed more information, even with the team bringing in a vaccine expert to speak with the group.
The NFL has not made the vaccine mandatory, but have protocols in place that strongly encourage it — creating stricter measures for unvaccinated players. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, for instance, said he got vaccinated only because of the protocols.
Some, like Buffalo’s Cole Beasley, have strongly spoken out against the NFL’s efforts — refusing to get the vaccine. Others, like Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins, said he didn’t want to get the vaccine and later deleted a tweet that contained a personal anecdote of his sister’s boyfriend developing “heart problems” after getting the shot. While the CDC has acknowledged there have been reported cases of heart inflammation mostly in people 30 and under, such cases are rare.
Rivera has said he’s been encouraged by Washington’s turnaround in vaccination. But based on his comments to Sports Illustrated, he’s worried that people are getting the wrong information.
“And you got some, quite frankly, f——— a———-, that are putting a bunch of misinformation out there, leading people to die,” Rivera told the outlet. “That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform. And then, one specific news agency, every time they have someone on, I’m not a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work. Or, I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile. Come on. That, to me? That should not be allowed.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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