Yes, Joe Judge is fully vaccinated.
No, he is not judging who does and who does not have a shot in the arm to mitigate against COVID-19.
“The answer is, yes, I did get vaccinated,’’ Judge said Friday before putting his team through an organized team activity practice. “I want to make something clear, that’s not any kind of statement, alright, one way or the other. That’s pure and simple.
“We were asked to get vaccinated by the league to be able to be part of the draft rooms, to be part of coming in our building and working. That’s something that for myself I thought was important to do. So that’s where I go on that point.’’
Vaccinated players no longer have to undergo daily testing, do not have to wear masks at team facilities, have no travel restrictions, may eat in the team cafeteria, use the sauna and steam room and are not subject to capacity limits in the weight room. Unvaccinated players must adhere to the protocols in place during the heart of the pandemic.
Clearly, the more players get vaccinated, the quicker an NFL team will get back to functioning normally. Judge, though, is not on board making public how many of the Giants are already vaccinated or will be by the start of the season.
“I honestly couldn’t give you an answer to that and to be completely honest with you, when it comes to anything dealing with medical protocols, vaccinations, I’m not a medical professional,’’ Judge said. “I let our training staff and doctors talk to the team in regards to that. I let them deal with those issues right there.
“Everyone has a choice to make, players. So that’s their decision. I’m not getting involved in that. Let them deal directly with the medical professionals. I don’t have enough expertise in that area to give someone direction one way or the other.’’
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams took part in Friday’s OTA and offered a byproduct of the reduced protocols that is easily relatable.
“I’m excited that I don’t have to wear a mask as much, and I can breathe a little better,’’ Williams said. “I’m just glad that things are — it seems to be slowly getting back to normal as much as possible.’’
About 70 players took part in this OTA session. None of the key defensive backs attended, though most of them were together last month for training sessions in Florida, organized by safety Logan Ryan. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney, the Giants’ first-round draft pick, also did not make his OTA debut. Toney was at the team facility and signed his four-year, $13.7 million rookie deal, paving the way for him to participate in next week’s mandatory three-day minicamp.
WR Kenny Golladay was on the scene, participating mostly in individual drills and team drills when there was no defense on the field.
Daniel Jones spent part of the workout off on the side, going through sprinting drills with a trainer. Jones started slowly, picked up speed and then hit full acceleration. Who can forget Jones last season taking off on an 80-yard run against the Eagles before tripping and falling, costing himself a rushing touchdown? Building up his balance and legs this time of year is not a bad idea.