Lamar Jackson Retains Stance On Vaccine: 'Between Me and My Family'
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson declined to answer whether he received the vaccination for COVID-19.
"I want to keep that between me and my family and the doctors. That’s all," Jackson said before Thursday's practice.
Jackson has been coy throughout the offseason about getting vaccinated to prevent the virus.
There was an unidentified report he had gotten the shot, but that has not been confirmed.
He missed the first week of training camp after contracting COVID-19.
He also tested positive for COVID-19 last year and missed the Ravens' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in late November.
Jackson was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list about two weeks later and returned for Baltimore's next game against the Dallas Cowboys where he completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 107 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 94 yards on 13 carries with another score.
Overall, more than 90% of Ravens players are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to coach John Harbaugh. He is hopeful the team won't face any setbacks due to the virus.
“I don’t think we’ll see the kind of interruption we saw last year,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’re in good shape.”
The NFL's vaccination rate is 93%, according to NFL.com.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said that his team is 100% vaccinated.
Harbaugh has deferred to the players when it comes to getting vaccinated.
"Am I going to disrespect them by going in there and saying, ‘You’re making a wrong decision. You’re making a bad decision.’ I just think that’s disrespectful," Harbaugh said earlier in training camp. "To someone that’s thoughtful about it and has thought about it, they understand the consequences. There are consequences if you get the vaccine. There are consequences in life; nobody gets out of life alive last time I checked.
"So, our focus is going to be on having a great day today and let the chips fly. … That was kind of deep. Hopefully, you get out of today alive, preferably. We’ll shoot for that, how’s that? That’s probably a good moment to end on.”
