When University of Mississippi head football coach Lane Kiffin announced that his team and staff was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus earlier this week, he punctuated the news by saying “it’s irresponsible not to” get vaccinated.
The notion of 240 players, coaches and support staff being fully vaccinated came in sharp contrast to the state of Mississippi’s role in the COVID-19 news cycle this week. On Monday, state officials bemoaned the lack of ICU beds due to the increasing number of COVID cases in the state.
With Ole Miss emerging as a model for vaccination, Alabama coach Nick Saban remaining a staunch proponent of vaccination and even LSU’s live mascot, Mike The Tiger, getting vaccinated, programs in the Southeastern Conference are attempting to play a role in encouraging vaccination.