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The New Orleans Saints have a bit of a checkered past with Covid in the eyes of the NFL. After post-game celebrations again went viral last year showing some Saints players and coaches without masks, the Saints were fined a 2022 6th round draft pick.
However, fast forward to the 2021 offseason, and the Saints are now one of the NFL’s leaders as far as Covid vaccinations are concerned:
Sources: Two teams have crossed the much-talked about 85% threshold for player vaccinations (fully vaccinated or in the process). Those two are the Dolphins and Saints.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 17, 2021
Nothing's agreed upon yet, but NFL and NFLPA have discussed relaxed protocols for teams over that threshold.
This means a lot for the Saints both with the health of the players and the ability of the team to maintain a sense of normalcy in 2021. The Covid protocols in the NFL for players that are fully vaccinated versus those who reject the science behind the vaccines are pretty vast.
Tom Pelissero from NFL Network provided the following graphic:
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With a team like the Saints who will be dealing with a change at quarterback for the first time since 2006, consistency and cohesion in the locker room will be key, so it’s a good thing for the New Orleans Saints that their current vaccination rate makes it look like they’ll be able to - generally - go back to pre-pandemic days.
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