The high school football coach Marshall Faulk attended passed away from COVID-19 early in the pandemic. The coronavirus personally affected Rod Woodson when he and his family fell ill and his daughter’s boyfriend lost his father.
Both are two of 15 Hall of Famers among 40 players and former players participating in a community outreach and education campaign to promote confidence in vaccination against COVID-19.
The NFL Alumni Health group launched the campaign with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to the slowdown in vaccination rates this summer just as infections of the delta variant increase.
“We may be in the familiar ‘red zone’ but the fight is not over,” CEO Beasley Reece told the NFL Alumni Association. “We are confident that the voices of our NFL Alumni will help inspire people who have not yet been vaccinated to discuss their concerns with a healthcare professional, learn the facts, and decide to protect themselves and others.”
The campaign aims to dispel common myths about the vaccine and encourage the undecided to seek advice from their healthcare professionals to help them make their decisions.
The initiative includes public service announcements, a website for the campaign, and presentations by former players at vaccination centers across the country.
“This is for the undecided, for those who are not sure; a lot of misinformation circulates, ”Faulk told The Associated Press. “The beauty of our country is the democracy to put it on or not. But the people who don’t wear them due to bad information or bad communication are the ones we try to help ”.
Woodson said he is confident that more people will accept vaccines if they ignore the buzz on social media and ask their healthcare professionals about vaccines.
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