Charles Woodson defends Urban Meyer

Charles Woodson is going to bat for Urban Meyer. Yesterday, the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach caused a stir when he stated that vaccination status was considered while determining which players to cut.

The @nfl is going to potentially penalize both teams where an unvaccinated player is concerned and the think coaches aren’t going to consider that on cut day.. man GTFOH

— Charles Woodson (@CharlesWoodson) September 1, 2021

“The NFL is going to potentially penalize both teams where an unvaccinated player is concerned and the think coaches aren’t going to consider that on cut day.. man GTFOH,” tweeted Woodson.

Evidently, Woodson is siding with the former Ohio State head coach on the matter. While Meyer dominated Woodson’s alma mater of Michigan, it’s not stopping him from seeing the writing on the wall.

“It was certainly in consideration.”

The onset of the firestorm was brought on when Meyer pulled the curtain back, perhaps a little too far.

“Everyone was considered,” Meyer said, per ESPN. “That was part of the [considerations such as] production, let’s start talking about this, and also is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration.”

While Woodson and Meyer may agree on the topic, it’s not something that the NFLPA is happy about. George Attalah, the assistant executive director for external affairs for the NFLPA, told ESPN via email that Meyer’s statements will lead to an investigation.

“This is a concern and we are going to look into it,” stated Atallah.

While it’s been highly public as a possibility, Meyer is the first person in the NFL to let the cat out of the bag. Following the reaction league-wide, don’t expect many more decision makers to come forward.

Jacksonville Jaguars statement regarding Urban Meyer’s comments

In addition to Charles Woodson, the Jacksonville Jaguars released a statement on the matter.

Statement from the Jaguars: pic.twitter.com/S5Wn1Crgqe

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2021

“Availability is one of the many factors taken into account when making roster decisions. We have vaccinated and unvaccinated players on our roster, and no player was released because of their vaccination status. Ultimately, decisions are based on a player’s ability to help the Jaguars win. We educate our players and respect personal decisions as it pertains to the vaccine. We want to keep our players, staff and families safe as we comply with protocols related to both health and safety and competition on game days.”

Urban Meyer and the Jaguars cut 24 players on Tuesday, including wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and safety Jarrod Wilson. Earlier this summer, Wilson was spotted wearing a mask before entering the team facility since the start of camp.

Under NFL COVID-19 protocols, all unvaccinated players must wear masks in the facility while vaccinated players do not.