Atlanta Falcons become the first NFL team to be 100% vaccinated against COVID
The team opened training camp last month with more than 90% of their players vaccinated
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The Atlanta Falcons announced Monday that all of their players are vaccinated against COVID-19, making them the first NFL team to reach that milestone.
The Falcons reached a 92% vaccination rate on July 23, and now have every player on the roster inoculated against the virus.
"Each player will now enjoy the benefits of being able to work out and eat together. They won't have to test daily, won't have to wear masks around the facility, and won't have to quarantine following a close contact with someone who tests positive," the team's website stated.
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NFL players are not required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but teams could potentially forfeit a game due to an outbreak among unvaccinated players, according to a memo released earlier this summer.
"As we learned last year, we can play a full season if we maintain a firm commitment to adhering to our health and safety protocols and to making needed adjustments in response to changing conditions," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the memo, obtained by The Associated Press.
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"If a game can’t be rescheduled and is canceled due to a COVID outbreak among non-vaccinated players on one of the competing teams, the team with the outbreak will forfeit and will be deemed to have played 16 games for purposes of draft, waiver priority, etc," the memo continued.
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Players on both teams will not be paid for the game if it can't be made up.
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As of Saturday, all 32 NFL teams had vaccination rates above 75%, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. At least 15 teams were above 95%.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report