Fake vaccine cards in the NFL can put teams into competitive disadvantage

The NFL has a major problem on its hands regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Ironically, it comes on the back of some good news.

The vaccination numbers for the players are much higher than the country rates. Three teams (Falcons, Buccaneers, Raiders) claim that 100 percent of the players are vaccinated against the COVID-19, and 27 teams report at least 90 percent of the players.

The league claims its vaccine rate is at 93.5, while the US vaccine rate stands with 63,8% of the population taking at least one shot.

Those numbers seem great for the league and make the NFL believe that it's possible to go over the course of a whole season without outbreaks or postponements. Or at least that's what they think.

Are NFL players faking their vaccine cards?

An article by Kalyn Kahler from the Defector published on Friday states that some NFL players are using fake vaccine cards to stay away from the strict protocols from unvaccinated players during the 2021 season.

The cards can be bought online, and two different agents told Kahler that some players they represent have asked them for help to do so.

According to one of the agents, a player asked him to help because an unnamed teammate told him he got a fake vaccine card. The agent refused to help in such illicit activities and gave a simple answer: get vaccinated.

The same agent states that he believes that 10 to 15% of the player's vaccine status are fake and they bought their vaccine cards. This could develop into a major problem for the league in the coming weeks.

Vaccines in the NFL are also a competitive advantage

The health problem in this case is pretty obvious: if you're unvaccinated and you're walking around through facilities and places without a mask, you can not only contract COVID-19 more easily but you can also spread the virus with more potency.

Kirk Cousins is one of the players with a public stance against vaccines

There's also the fact that the use of a fake vaccine card represents risks to public health, which constitutes a federal crime. The individual is subject to league discipline in this case.

However, there's even more. The vaccine doesn't 100% stop the spread of the virus, but diminishes it in many more ways. That's how vaccines are supposed to work: they are not and will never be 100% safe, but the more people take the shot, the lesser the spread will be, and the disease (in this specific case, COVID-19) will be contained. For that to happen, you need a big vaccination rate so the spread can stop.

The competitive advantage is a huge factor here as well. If a player is unvaccinated and is walking around through the facility without a mask or any restrictions, the chances that he'll spread the virus to other people are high.

Imagine if a franchise player contracts the virus in the week of a big game and has to miss the contest? Of course, he can contract the virus in a controlled environment as well, but the lower the chances, the better the competitive advantage.

Players who are using fake vaccine cards are irresponsible in many ways. They can be super spreaders for their families, for their teammates, for the staff of their teams, for everybody. If the NFL discovers that those rumors are true, the punishment should be harsh.