Browns Star Safety Posts Instagram Video Suggesting Vaccine Hesitancy

The massive free agent acquisition posts a pair of Instagram videos as a man who is described to have had his second dose of the vaccine the day before suffers a pair of dizzy spells that are captioned to suggest that John Johnson is in no hurry to get the vaccine himself.

Cleveland Browns safety John Johnson III, the biggest acquisition of the team in the offseason, posted a story to Instagram that at least suggests he's not vaccinated and is not in a hurry to get vaccinated.

The pair of short videos shows a person at some sort of chicken eatery having fallen down due to being dizzy. The caption of the video says the man was vaccinated yesterday with a few emojis underneath.

The next shot has the man laying outside the restaurant, once again having fallen down. This time the caption "Fell again... I'm big cool", which would at least suggest that Johnson is not interested in getting the vaccine which could then do the same thing to him.

There is no question that plenty of people suffer various forms of illness from the second dose of the vaccine. They feel sick, sometimes for a day or a few days. So it's certainly possible that a person could have dizzy spells the way this person has. It's strange that he did not feel anything else and would try to go out and about potentially feeling sick, but perhaps he was trying to get carryout specifically because he was feeling ill.

It's not an attempt to discredit the video or anything being shown within it. Every bit of it could be possible. However sick a person might feel due to the vaccine could be far less severe than what the actual virus might visit upon them, especially as variants increase.

This is something that the NFL and specifically teams, including the Browns are trying to battle against. The anecdotal evidence that might dissuade players from getting vaccinated, which forces the team to adjust how they operate and puts them at a competitive disadvantage.

In a column this week, Albert Breer of theMMQB mentioned that the teams with the highest vaccination rates tended to be led by stars who were early adopters. He cited the Kansas City Chiefs as an example with Patrick Mahomes getting the vaccine. Between the fact he got it and a willingness to discuss it with teammates, they followed his lead.

Breer lists out the number of limitations and accommodations it requires for players who choose not to get vaccinated, which is a real challenge.

It's unclear who is and who is not vaccinated on the Browns and how willing they are to discuss with it with teammates. Johnson was signed to not only be a big time player for the Browns defense, but also because he possesses a ton of leadership qualities. Should anyone be influenced by his decision to this point, it could really hamper the Browns from reaching their goal in terms of vaccination.

On the flip side, if Johnson does decide to get vaccinated, especially if he has been hesitant to this point, it could go a long way in helping the Browns reach their vaccination goals and be able to practice as close to normal as possible.

Everything about this shows the challenge for teams to get players vaccinated because regardless of what the data or science says, these anecdotes can cause significant hesitation.

The Browns will have mandatory minicamp starting the 15th and running through the 17th.

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