Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops confident that Wildcats will meet SEC vaccination mark
The University of Kentucky football team is making progress in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Head coach Mark Stoops spoke Friday during the football team’s annual media day, which precedes the start of fall camp.
“We are in a good, strong position,” Stoops said. “I feel like we’ll reach the goal. But that’s a touchy subject. I addressed it with the team. We’re very open and honest and communicate often about a lot of things, and that is an individual choice. We’ll continue to educate them, and everybody will do what’s best for them or what they feel (is) most comfortable. But I do feel like we’ll reach the goal that the league has set.”
During his appearance at the Southeastern Conference’s annual media event two weeks ago, Stoops said UK had “a ways to go” in terms of vaccinations. As of late July, only six of the league’s 14 programs had reached an 80 percent or higher vaccination rate. Teams whose rate is 85 percent or higher do not have to regularly undergo testing for COVID-19.
Chris Rodriguez, UK’s top running back and a preseason All-SEC selection by multiple outlets, this week tweeted that he was getting the COVID-19 vaccine because he wanted to be sure he was available to play every game. Rodriguez missed two games last season due to UK’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Stoops echoed comments Friday from the SEC media appearance, describing COVID-19 vaccinations as a personal, individual choice that the program will continue to educate its players about.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 10:18 AM.
