Under NFL rules, fully vaccinated players and coaches can take off their masks at the team facility. And Bears coach Matt Nagy sees that as an advantage.
Nagy said he’s encouraging Bears players to get vaccinated in part because he thinks communication at practices and team meetings will be better once no one has masks on.
“It’s just different when you see people’s expressions [when] you talk to them out on the field, in meetings,” Nagy said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “At the same point in time, there are the safety measures. And if you’re not vaccinated, then you need to wear your mask. So for us, we would love for everybody to get their vaccinations. And we encourage that and educate them on it.”
Some teams have backed off from recommending that players get vaccinated, calling it a personal decision. But Nagy makes no secret that he’s encouraging vaccines.
“We all have our own opinions on what we want to do and not do,” Nagy said. “But if you understand the education of it, if we encourage it — which is what we’re doing — then we can all make our own decisions and decide to get it.”