Brett Favre Defends NFL Players’ Vaccine Hesitancy on CNN: ‘We’re the Human Trials’
Joining CNN to preach the scientific dangers of tackle football among kids 14 and under, Brett Favre was asked about the importance of NFL players getting vaccinated against Covid-19.
While Favre believes in science when it comes to the need for concussion prevention, the former NFL MVP seemed much less confident in the science that built Covid-19 vaccines. CNN anchor of At This Hour, Kate Bolduan asked Favre about the struggle with getting everyone in the NFL to trust the vaccine.
“There’s a great deal of uncertainty,” Favre said. “You hear one thing one day, and you hear something that’s totally different the next. And this is from experts, experts on both sides of the argument. The vaccines that have been administered within the last six to eight months didn’t go through a 20 or 30-year human trial study that the FDA requires.”
On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons announced they were the first NFL team to reach a 100 percent vaccination rate. Still, there are high-profile football players such as Kirk Cousins and Lamar Jackson who remain hesitant about getting the jab.
“We’re sort of the human trials, if you will, and I think some people are frightened by that and the conflicting info that we’re all getting,” Favre added from his home in Mississippi, a state with the lowest vaccination rate in the country at just over 35 percent.
Asked if he’s been vaccinated, Favre chose to evade the question. “I’d rather not say one way or the other. It’s not my place to say get the vaccine or don’t get the vaccine, I think that’s a matter of choice by all individuals and that’s why we live in America.”
“If you’re concerned about it, go to a professional who has studied that field,” Favre continued. “Not just a medical doctor, someone who knows a lot of information. Do your due diligence and then make your decision.”
Favre was interrupted from commenting any further by Chris Nowinski, a former wrestler who co-founded the Boston University CTE Center.
With the NFL reporting that more than 90 percent of its players have been vaccinated, multiple teams have done exactly what Favre suggested and brought in an expert to answer questions about the jab. Earlier this week, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera lashed out at spreaders of Covid misinformation.
To combat any distortion around the science, the franchise welcomed Kizzmekia S. Corbett, who assisted in developing the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, to speak with players last month.
Watch above via CNN
