Dak Prescott is off and running at training camp with the Dallas Cowboys, where he evaded questions Friday about his vaccination status.
The Cowboys are “making progress” toward team owner Jerry Jones’ goal of over 85 percent of the roster being fully vaccinated. Prescott was not as willing to talk about the COVID-19 immunization.
“I don’t necessarily think that’s exactly important,” Prescott said. “I think that’s HIPAA.”
HIPAA does not apply to individuals being asked to disclose their own personal health information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a federal law that restricts dissemination by third parties of any individual’s private medical information.
Ezekiel Elliott said this week he received the first of two doses as a commitment to being available to the Cowboys every week. Elliott tested positive for COVID-19 last year.
“I got the vaccine just because I wanted to put myself in the best situation to be out there for my team week in and week out,” Elliott said.
Prescott is moving without limitation and a full participant in practices, recovered from a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery and armed with a new long-term contract.
Jones said he appreciated former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin’s sentiment that players unwilling to be fully vaccinated were not fully committed to winning, labeling the message “outstanding.”
Prescott said in June — before the NFL clarified its vaccine policy, collectively bargained with the NFLPA — that he wouldn’t reveal his immunization status.
