Carson Wentz Placed on Covid List After Citing ‘Personal Decision’ Not to Get Vaxxed – Now His Team May Be Without Him on Sunday

 
Carson Wentz getting hit

Chris Coduto/Getty Images

The Indianapolis Colts placed Carson Wentz on the Covid list Tuesday, and may be without their starting quarterback in a crucial game on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Colts announced the move on Tuesday, but did not specify whether the unvaccinated Wentz had tested positive for the virus. If he did test positive, per the NFL’s protocols Wentz would have to spend 10 days on the Covid list and may need to miss Sunday’s game depending on when the positive result occurred.

Under the current rules, vaccinated players who test positive are able to test out of quarantine, provided they have been asymptomatic for at least 24 hours.

Another dynamic at play is that the NFL and NFL Players Association are reportedly close to implementing new guidelines in accordance with those put forth by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. If adopted, the new rule would reduce the amount of time players must quarantine from 10 days to five days.

That agreement could be reached as early as Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

In September, Wentz said that getting vaccinated or not is a “personal decision” and he did not explain why he was unwilling to get the jab.

“I’m not going to go in depth on why, but I will say it’s a personal decision for me and my family,” he said. “And I respect everybody else’s decision and I just ask that everybody does the same for me. I know that’s not the world we live in. Not everyone is going to equally view things the same.”

At 9-6, the Colts are second in the AFC South and currently hold the fifth seed in the AFC playoff race.

If Wentz is unable to start, Colts’ backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger would get the nod against the Raiders on Sunday. Though the rookie has appeared in three regular-season games this year, he has yet to attempt a pass.

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Mike is a Mediaite senior editor who covers the news in primetime. Follow him on Bluesky.