NFL Head Coach and Cancer Survivor ‘Beyond Frustrated’ By Lack of Players Getting Vaccinated: ‘I’m Immune Deficient’

Earlier this month, the Washington Football Team’s vaccination rate was below 50 percent. Head coach Ron Rivera, wouldn’t say the updated vaccine totals for his club on Tuesday, only noting that they’re above 50 percent, which still drastically trails the league rate.

On Tuesday, NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero reported 85 percent of the league’s players have received at least one jab, with 14 of the 32 teams having reached a vaccination rate over 90 percent. 27 teams are above 70 percent, but Washington is not one of them.

“I’m truly frustrated, I’m beyond frustrated,” Rivera told reporters of his team’s vaccination rate.

Last week, the NFL announced they would enforce forfeits if a team outbreak occurs among unvaccinated players and the game could not be rescheduled. But beyond ramifications in the standings, Rivera explained that his team’s low vaccination rate is impacting him personally.

“Part of it is, the reason I walked in with the mask on is because I’m immune deficient and with this new variant – who knows,” Rivera said.

Last year, Rivera battled squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer. The NFL head coach completed seven weeks of treatment last October without missing a game and as of Jan. 28, he is cancer free.

“When I’m in a group and the groups not vaccinated or there’s a mixture, I put the mask on,” Rivera said. “And I do that for health reasons because nobody really knows. I have to do that and I just with and hope that our guys can understand that.”

“I hope we can get to these guys, get them to understand it’s not just for them,” Rivera added of his team, noting that the coaching staff is vaccinated. “It’s for the people around them. And that’s the thing that hopefully will get their attention.”

Watch above via ESPN