NFLPA investgating Jaguars Coach Ureban Meyer over vaccination comment
September 1st, 2021 at 5:21 PM ^
I wonder how long it will take this post to turn into a post-apocalyptic hellscape of political negativity?
September 1st, 2021 at 5:24 PM ^
Hold your breath! Seriously, you'll be fine, it shouldn't be very long at all.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
Without sinking into the vaxx morass, or expressing my own opinion, I would like to note some of the surprising elements in this story: Jax is reputed, even in FL, to be the most conservative city in the United States. A lot of conservative elements in FL look to Urban as something of a god. Publicly hinting that some players' non-vaxxed status made it easier to ax them is surprising, under the circumstances. It MIGHT be--and here I AM editorializing, a little--that we have reached a stage where only a shrinking minority fails to accept the logic, the necessity, of protecting loved ones, selves, and jobs.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:48 PM ^
Urban has never been part of a minority which doesn’t know which side of his bread is buttered…
September 1st, 2021 at 11:57 PM ^
I was going to say eh Duval County which is basically contiguous with Jacksonville voted Democratic, but I looked and while that's true it was only 51 - 47 for Biden, which is actually incredibly conservative given the size of the city and how blue cities are now.
September 2nd, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
An interesting trivia question is what is the largest city, in area, in the contiguous 48 states (Jacksonville). Criteria for defining city boundaries varies quite a bit from state to state, and even within states. Jacksonville includes its own sprawl and then some. So the general blueness of urban centers (as opposed to "ureban" centers) doesn't have the same effect on Jacksonville.
September 2nd, 2021 at 9:35 AM ^
You getting the vaccine will not protect the people around you as you can still get and pass on the virus even if you are vaccinated.
The period of contagion is the same in the vaccinated and unvaccinated. A week to two weeks to develop mucosal membrane IgA antibodies. With the Delta variant going forward it's more likely people will get the virus. Even the vaccinated. What's going to protect most people from developing significant systemic symptoms is they, themselves, getting vaccinated.
September 2nd, 2021 at 11:25 AM ^
Vaccination absolutely diminishes transmission, even with the Delta variant. It is also possible that you can get sick and transmit it, in the same way that wearing a seat belt doesn't prevent you from dying in a car crash, but it makes you a shitload safer.
September 2nd, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
According to a study completed in Singapore, the period of roughly equal viral loads in the nasopharyngeal tissues between vaccinated and unvaccinated people is approximately 5 days. Thereafter, it drops quickly among vaccinated people, but much less so among the vaccinated.
But … While you are correct that the vaccine is protective against serious illness, and that all people regardless of vaccine status will probably become infected at some point, your underlying tone seems to suggest that the vaccine doesn’t have a benefit to the public beyond the individual who gets vaccinated. This is patently false, both directly and indirectly. Directly, there is still no evidence that vaccinated people are as likely to transmit the virus - that is still a speculative conclusion, though it has a logical basis given the similar viral loads.
Indirectly, the unvaccinated public are filling up ICUs across the country, preventing non-Covid patients from having access to proper care. That fact has led to at least one documented death in the past couple of weeks. I wonder, frankly, whether people who refuse to be vaccinated would be willing to accept their own denial of treatment for Covid-related illnesses so the rest of us have the access to care that we need and deserve.
September 2nd, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
back with the bad unscientific takes I see.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:11 PM ^
and I thought I was taking a risk for starting a weekly weed thread...
September 1st, 2021 at 9:25 PM ^
Fuck it.
OT season is a joke...
...and idiots cannot keep away from COVID posts even though there are hundreds of thousands of other sources on the topic.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:54 PM ^
I second this great idea!
September 1st, 2021 at 9:54 PM ^
I second this great idea!
edit: Double post FTW!
September 2nd, 2021 at 11:31 AM ^
People love to talk on this board about how much liquor they drink. Why can't we do the same for weed?
September 2nd, 2021 at 12:09 PM ^
It's an awfully chilling, telling fact that a discussion about the Covid vaccine would be in any way political. The fact that it is bums me the hell out.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:29 PM ^
Is vaccine status a protected trait under the Jaguar Constitution? Let’s ask Bill Belichick.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:29 PM ^
Ureban gonna Ureban.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:32 PM ^
I'm pronouncing it "Yer-ay-bon" and I'm finding it delightful.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:58 PM ^
Isn't Yer-ay-bon" Canadian for You're good? or is that Yer-bon-eh?
September 2nd, 2021 at 9:14 AM ^
I'm going with YOU-reh-bon
September 1st, 2021 at 6:16 PM ^
This exactly. Hard transition for Urban not being able to say or do anything he wants without media questions and real oversight from a league with power and backbone.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
(Disclaimer: this jibe isn't mine but man I so wish it was)
But regarding former Spartan Kirk Cousins' refusal to get the vaccine, it must be noted in his defense that in order to get vaccine at all, you have to actually have an arm to put it in.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:02 PM ^
They could jab him in the butt.
Unless that's considered too close to his head.
September 2nd, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
YOU LIKE THAT?
I like that.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:33 PM ^
In this case, Urban said out loud what every coach was silently thinking. Meyer is used to Columbus where he could say what he wanted and get 100% buy in. The NFL has a players union who is going to investigate this but its going to be hard to find hard evidence where this will actually lead to anything.
September 1st, 2021 at 6:32 PM ^
Yeah, it's dumb he said it out loud, but you'd be stupid as a coach to not take into account with roster cuts. Being unvaccinated is a threat to the continuity and success of your team
September 2nd, 2021 at 12:02 PM ^
I agree... can't imagine this is actually going to go anywhere.. players get cut for poor perfomance, and that's solely at a coaching staff's discretion.
I do get a kick out of the MGo portion of users hating on Urban for this... actually wanting his players to be vaccinated. I guess if you wore the wrong colored shirt for 7 years, saying the right thing still makes you a piece of shit to some people.
September 2nd, 2021 at 7:37 PM ^
Nah, it makes no difference what color of shirt you're wearing.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:39 PM ^
Yeah, Meyer said it's a factor (and it should be) and that's his problem here. I don't think anything comes of this but him actually being honest for once was his mistake here. I'm sure he won't repeat it.
September 2nd, 2021 at 9:11 AM ^
Its a lesson learned for him as he goes from college to the pros. He doesn't rule with an iron fist the way he did in Gainesville and Columbus. He's got a boss, and his boss has a boss. He doesn't get the same kind of immediate rank-and-file buy-in at the pros level just by opening his mouth the way he did in college, all just because of who he was and his results on the field.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:41 PM ^
They say the best asset you can have as a player in the NFL is availability. Not a shock that coaches would use that as a deciding factor on who to keep on a roster. You see injured guys get cut all the time. This doesn't seem any different, except that the injured players didn't actually have a choice in getting hurt.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:50 PM ^
Also in this case, the "injured" player could spread their "injury" to other players.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:05 PM ^
Yeah, and while teams may put up with that uncertainty to a degree (due to ability or contract status), if you aren't in that rarified air making a coach's life more annoying because he doesn't always know if you'll be able to play is absolutely going to be a strike against you.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:50 PM ^
assuming ureban was a typo but i still laughed
September 1st, 2021 at 6:05 PM ^
I sure as heck would factor Vaccination status into my decision about cuts - could significantly negatively impact the rest of my team. Kind of with Urban here which is gross to say...
September 1st, 2021 at 6:24 PM ^
Tons of coaches are using vaccination status to factor into cuts.
Urban was just dumb enough to actually say what everyone knew.
September 2nd, 2021 at 7:45 AM ^
So, Urban Meyer is a douchebag. There is no pro or anti about it among Michigan fans, except for those who want him as our next coach once he fails with the Jags, but those guys are douchebags too so they are a bit blind.
Anti-vax really isn't and shouldn't be a thing. Jenny McCarthy, "Christian Scientists", Jehovah's Witnesses, Amish and Scientologists are the only nut jobs who believe you should let God or Xenu heal you and protect you.
The fact that it has become a thing is a testimony to the rot in our system. There are no fair and balanced two sides to this. There are sane people and brainwashed dipshits.
Urban Meyer is a douchebag, but he's 1000% right not to risk having unvaccinated players on his team, and 99% right not wanting players who are stupid enough to "believe" that vaccines are bad.
September 2nd, 2021 at 8:13 AM ^
this is the best alt text to a meme image ever
September 2nd, 2021 at 9:22 AM ^
Just saying that I know a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses (colleague and his wife) and JW's apparently changed their stance on vaccines at some point in the past (edit: in 1952). They are both vaccinated. The main thing they refuse is blood transfusions of any sort. Otherwise, surgeries and stuff are fine and they don't believe in faith healing.
I don't agree with their core religious beliefs, but it's worth not denigrating an entire religion based on misinformation.
As for the other groups, don't know enough about them to say one way or the other.
September 2nd, 2021 at 1:17 PM ^
There are no fair and balanced two sides to this. There are sane people and brainwashed dipshits.
Which is which?
The condescension is getting deep around here. You've covered nut jobs, douchebags, stupid people. Way to label, stereotype, and call anyone who disagrees with you names! Super productive!
Are we mgobloggers (sports blog at its core) incapable of discussing anything related to covid without sinking to this shit level?
Regardless of which "side" you're on or opinion you have, take this fucking garbage somewhere else. Nobody here gives a shit about your high and mighty covid expertise. Go fight on twitter or some other cesspool, but leave our sports blog alone.
September 1st, 2021 at 6:50 PM ^
Of all the ways Urban would have gotten into trouble in his NFL (mis)adventure ----- and let's be honest, trouble was inevitable with him ------ I would not have guessed this particular way.
I'd guess (only a guess) the NFLPA has the higher ground here given what was collectively bargained, and the Jags will get fined and/or Urban will face a penalty. We'll see if anything happens.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:00 PM ^
Meyer has already paid one $100,000 fine, what’s one more.
September 2nd, 2021 at 9:49 AM ^
What amazes me is how players' unions will go out of their way to defend individual players when that player's conduct threatens a massive number of players or the game itself -- such as when the MLBPA defends PED users or, in this case, the NFLPA stands up for non-vaxxed players.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:29 PM ^
I knew I would enjoy watching Urban botch the NFL.
September 1st, 2021 at 8:44 PM ^
No doubt.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:40 PM ^
Urbs may only last 1 year in the NFL until USC hires him after Clay Helton goes 5-7 this year. He will be at USC for approx. 4-5 years until he gets another headache and he will take a year off before he becomes Lou Holtz 2.0.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:48 PM ^
Yeah I think whether it’s right or wrong, left or right, justified or not justified, it seems like Urban just shouldn’t speak or tweet in a public forum. Unfortunately for him it’s not an option for the role that he is in, but he’s not great w those things.