Dak Prescott Declines to Say if He’s Been Vaccinated

Dak Prescott met with the press for the first time in a while and was asked whether or not he’s been vaccinated. His answer was not encouraging. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback said he didn’t think it was necessarily important then said “I think that’s HIPAA,” clearly showing he has no idea what HIPAA actually is.

Prescott’s teammate Ezekiel Elliott revealed he’s been vaccinated and explained his decision on Thursday. Naturally, Prescott was asked about it on Friday and he’s what he had to say:

I’d say the question is extremely relevant given the new rules for unvaccinated players the NFL has put in place. Teams could wind up forfeiting games in 2021 if there’s a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players.

And just so we’re clear, HIPAA does not apply in this situation. For those who would like to read up on HIPAA, here’s a handy guide. In short, all HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) does is prevent health care professionals from releasing your medical information without your consent or knowledge. It does not prevent your employer, or reporters, or friends, or really anyone from asking you questions about your health.

Prescott doesn’t have to answer questions about it from reporters, but the situation has nothing to do with HIPAA.

The NFL is going to have issues over the next month as some players are vaccinated and others aren’t. It will be fascinating to see if this winds up having an impact on locker rooms.