SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold has had two coronavirus vaccination shots and will be considered fully vaccinated on July 30, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Darnold had his second shot on July 16 and will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days later, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the team does not disclose players’ vaccination status.
Darnold spoke to the media on Tuesday without a mask and wearing a red band on his wrist when the Panthers arrived at training camp but wouldn’t say if he’d been vaccinated. Unvaccinated players are required to wear masks while speaking to reporters.
Several other Carolina players, including running back Christian McCaffrey, have also declined to say whether they’ve been vaccinated, citing personal privacy.
NFL players are facing pressure to get vaccinated since the league released new protocols that could force teams to forfeit games if they have COVID-19 outbreaks.
Darnold had said last month he was undecided on whether he would get vaccinated, saying that he “still has to think about all those certain things that go into it.”
“For me, I was just making personal decisions the whole way,” Darnold said on Tuesday. “That was pretty much it for me in terms of getting vaccinated or not. It’s been a personal decision the whole time so I weighed my options and made my decision that way.”
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