Also, let's imagine MSU has a homecoming game against Cal Poly. Hotels are full, tickets are sold out, we fly all of our top recruits in for the biggest recruiting weekend of the year, etc. Let's say the week before the game Cal Poly has a covid outbreak and they have to cancel/forfeit the game. People cancel their hotel rooms. Get a refund on their tickets, don't go out to eat, etc etc etc. That is obviously a huge loss for the MSU athletics budget as well as for the Bozeman economy.
Let's also imagine that we find out that only 10% of Cal Poly's player are vaccinated, so theoretically, this loss of income for the AD and the Bozeman economy could have/should have been avoidable.
Should there be any further discussion/ramifications beyond "oh well....what can you do?"
How have you addressed COVID vaccinations with your team?
“Everybody has to make their own choice and be accountable to that choice, and understand what the ramifications are. They need to know what the ramifications are. That may be missing some games or missing some reps. And hey, just like the North Carolina State baseball deal, they had guys that were vaccinated that still were positive and couldn’t play. Nothing is guaranteed. They can do what they want and understand the ramifications.”
“I’m for it. We’re not going to make anyone do it. I just try to advise them that it’s the best thing for them to do.”
“My players know I feel strongly that they should get vaccinated. But I think it’s a social thing. I understand those that don’t want to do it. It’s not FDA-approved. It’s still early on. I get it. But I was vaccinated to try and be some type of example for our team.”
“It’s not an easy thing to address because you want to respect everyone’s opinions. My biggest thing is no one in here is making the rules, but these are the things that are going to impact if we play or not. It’s like being mad at the speed limit. It’s the reality and we may not play or have a season if we don’t go in this direction.”
“Same thing as anything else, honestly. Rules are rules. So if there are forfeitures on the horizon, I mean we all knew the rules going in. Rules are rules. Everyone can have an opinion. I’m fine with opinions. But as long we have the rules, we’re going to do our best to follow those rules.”
“All I’m telling them is what could happen. We’re going to educate them. We’ll tell players that they could miss games. Coaching staff-wise, same thing. I can’t make you get it. But I pay you to coach. If you’re not at a game coaching over a choice you made, on paper, you fire that guy. Those are harsh words, but it’s happening already. I saw it with the (Minnesota) Vikings. It’s going to be a different puzzle this season. I heard one team, they didn’t say who, in our conference is only at 30 percent. I know we’re more than that, but I don’t think we’re at 80 percent yet.”
“I don’t have anything to say about that. It’s a personal choice, so I can’t tell anybody what to do. It’s whatever you want to do.”
“We just talked about it recently. Obviously, I want all of our guys to be vaccinated. It gives us the best shot to play and have less distractions. But you have to understand that people don’t feel the same way about a lot of different topics. I hope that was the message that got across that yes, I would like for you to be vaccinated, but it’s your decision.”
“I think to this point, it’s been more about encouragement. It’s been about here are the opportunities in our city where you can get vaccinated. Now, it’s getting to the point with the NFL laying their rules out, I think institutionally and as a conference, we’re starting to look more at rules. I think kids respond to rules more than speculation. That’s going to be our last-ditch effort, to say here’s how it’s going to look, guys. You can be on this side or this side, and while it’s your choice, here’s how it’s going to look if you’re not vaccinated.”
“We’ve educated them. We’re probably one of the more vaccinated teams in the league. But we still have to make some progress. We just need to keep educating them. It’s their decision. It’s a family choice. They just need to understand the potential consequences of being unvaccinated.”
“I think it’s their personal business. I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business. It’s up to them. That’s their business and their personal choice. They’re all smart and well-educated individuals.”
“I spoke to the team and I’m a believer that the vaccine can keep the country safe. It’s a personal choice, though. But I believe we’ll be 100 percent vaccinated soon, so we’ll be ready to go.”
