Stephen Tsai: Unvaccinated players, coaches should not be allowed to be part of program

America is a multiple-choice country.

If you choose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, that is your right. Your body, your decision.

But it also means there is no other choice but for the unvaccinated person to no longer be a member of a college football team, at least for now. Nearly all the new infections are to unvaccinated patients, and there is too much at stake if positive tests increase. Look what happened at the College World Series, where N.C. State was eliminated a win short of the final because it did not have enough players cleared to take the field.

The unvaccinated player still should remain on scholarship, and the unvaccinated coach still should draw a paycheck. But as far as being involved in day-to-day team activities, that should no longer be allowed without a shot. It is the only way to get back to normalcy — emotionally and fiscally — and the fairest situation for vaccinated teammates.

The vaccine, which is free and easily available, has created a two-division system for those vaccinated and those not. With the vaccine, players can use the locker rooms, gather in meeting rooms, walk around without masks, and avoid a nasal swab that tickles the brain. It means a player can practice on Thursday with the assurance he will not be in quarantine on game day. It means to not experience a hana hou of last year’s pandemic-based protocols.

There was a period a year ago when players were limited to OCCC-styled workouts of push-ups, sit-ups and lifting in their houses. At school facilities, weightlifters were not accompanied by spotters. “We went a full year without lifting weights,” New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales said. “For a football team, that’s a bad deal.”

During unsupervised workouts, the Air Force Academy’s center had to simulate the snap because, at the time, it was not known if the virus could be spread through surfaces.

The Hawaii football team wore masks during workouts. They were not permitted to enter their locker room for more than a year. During meetings, they were 6 feet apart, like an Electric Slide line.

Fresno State did not have an in-person meeting for six months. San Jose State trained 335 miles away in Humboldt County. The Rainbow Warriors played in the New Mexico Bowl, which was relocated to Frisco, Texas. New Mexico set up headquarters in Lake Las Vegas. “We truly had a bubble,” Gonzales said. “Nobody else was in our hotel. Maybe we saw 15 people who were not in our party. If Uber came, the front desk called me, and I made sure it wasn’t one of our players trying to escape the compound. It never was.”

And teams were tested three times on game week. The Mountain West used $4 million from the reserve fund to cover the cost of the tests for the 12 football members.

But that was then. The MWC is requiring unvaccinated players to take one PCR or three antigen tests each week. The MWC will no longer pay for the tests, deflecting the costs to the school or the players. Unvaccinated players also must wear masks in the football facilities and will be subject to contact-tracing isolation if they are possibly exposed.

Coaches and team leaders are doing their best to bring information to unvaccinated teammates, giving them the freedom to make the best choice for themselves. No, the vaccine will not change your DNA nor make your whereabouts known to Bill Gates. Only your personality will become magnetic with a shot, so it is OK to start wearing your wristwatch again. I understand conspiracies. I’m a Knicks fan.

But with the league imposing forfeits to teams that cannot field a minimum lineup because of coronavirus-related circumstances, and the separate treatments for those with shots and those without, the risks outweigh personal choices. It might not be fair to force an unvaccinated player to walk away to promote team unity and avoid risks. But in a pandemic that keeps getting extended, little is fair.