Google News Colts GM Chris Ballard: There's consequences to not being vaccinated
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Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard acknowledged that there is consequences to not being vaccinated as he underlined that he is a firm believer that everyone should take the COVID-19 vaccine. The Colts suffered a blow in their preparation for the start of the season as quarterback Carson Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and wide receiver Zach Pascal were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday after coming in close contact with a Colts staff member who tested positive.
"There's consequences to not being vaccinated," Ballard said, per ESPN. "Do I think everybody should be vaccinated? Absolutely. I'm for the vaccine. (Coach) Frank (Reich) is for the vaccine. We have a lot of guys on our team who are for the vaccine.
Is it 100% perfect? No. But it's a good thing. "It can help you from ending up in the hospital in a critical situation. And it helps stop some of the spread, and those are positive things. But for the guys who have chosen to not get vaccinated, they still understand they're still part of this team, it's their decision, but they're still part of our team and they have to take care of the team."
Ballard hopes unvaccinated Colts players will 'do the right thing'
"Look, I can beat my head against the wall," Ballard said.
"I can go in there and raise all kinds of hell and go off. That's not how we roll. I believe in our guys. I believe in what they stand for and I'll stand by them. We'll continue to work on the vaccinations. It's not like we're done educating ...
But they understand they have to take care of the protocols at hand and they have to live by them. And we'll do that at the best of the ability we can do it." After an extremely disappointing 2020 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Wentz is determined to revive his career and have a big bounce back season with the Colts.
"He's worked his butt off, been a good teammate," Ballard said. "When the foot thing happened. I could see the frustration, but also saw another look. 'I'm playing. Let's get (the bone out) and let's go to work.' That's a good thing." Colts wide receiver T.Y.
Hilton is set to miss the first couple of weeks of the season after undergoing a disk surgery. "He has a ton of relief, feels better," Ballard said. "One thing about T.Y. is, he's a pretty quick healer. I think he'll be back whenever he's ready to go. Always sooner rather than later with him."