DeSantis administration targets Tampa Bay Buccaneers over vaccination requirements

The Covid-19 vaccination requirement instituted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) for new employees has met unexpected opposition from officials in the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

State Department of Health Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern called the requirement "an illegal specific job listing." At the same time, other officials expressed on Twitter their discomfort with the requirement implemented by the Buccaneers.

A hiring announcement for the team's video producer cautions that "all new hires must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide verification of vaccination before starting employment. Fully vaccinated means at least two weeks after the last dose of COVID-19 vaccine from J&J, Moderna, or Pfizer."

"This is against Florida law," Redfern tweeted.

This is against Florida law. pic.twitter.com/1xSYfc6jbC

— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) June 14, 2022

Florida state law allows private employers to require their employees to have a complete immunization schedule, as long as they grant individual exemptions that would enable an employee to opt-out. Exemptions are given to those who have medical reasons such as pregnancy, those who are infected with COVID-19, for religious reasons, or those who agree to periodic testing, among others. 

Christina Pushaw, Governor DeSantis’ press secretary, retweeted Redfern and told the Tampa Bay Times that she "disagreed with the Buccaneers' move because they did not state that they were allowing individual exemptions."

Caught in 4K https://t.co/koefEbT3mM

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) June 14, 2022

"If the Bucs clarified that their policy includes the exemptions required by Florida law, that would be fine," Pushaw said. "But their hiring announcement doesn't say that." 

So far, the Tampa Bay team has not commented on the matter.

The NFL does not require its players to be vaccinated. However, according to NFL.com, about 93% of the league's participants have been vaccinated. For the start of the 2022 season, the NFL and the Players Association agreed in March to abandon all COVID-19 protocols after nearly two years of following the restrictions.

Stars like DeAndre Hopkins, Christian McCaffrey, Najee Harris, Sam Darnold, Allen Robinson, and Adam Thielen, among others, have not been vaccinated. So why would a team like the Buccaneers require their new job applicants to get the vaccine?

It is wrong to marginalize Special Olympians for refusing to comply with an unlawful vaccine mandate.

I am proud to fight for all of Florida’s Special Olympians – let them compete. pic.twitter.com/fhgZrfQMZn

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 3, 2022

At least that's what the DeSantis administration, who has personally questioned the impositions of the COVID-19 vaccination requirements, is going against. The measure could exclude some potential workers, experts say. Last year, the governor issued an executive order to prohibit businesses from requiring people to prove they have been vaccinated in order to enter. Florida lawmakers then made the ban on vaccination passports permanent.