Harsin declines to address vaccination status

[aubiefifty 16,747]

Bryan Harsin declines to address vaccination status in light of university mandate

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-7 minutes

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Bryan Harsin declined again to discuss his vaccination status, even as a deadline looms following an Auburn University mandate for all employees.

Auburn announced on Friday that all university employees will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8 or else be subject to termination. Harsin, who previously declined to disclose his vaccination status at SEC Media Days in July, when he said it was a deeply personal decision for everyone, was asked again Monday during his weekly press conference whether he has received the vaccine and, if not, whether he plans to comply with the school’s mandate prior to the deadline.

Auburn considers someone to be fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received the second dose of a two-dose series or two weeks after receiving a one-dose shot.

“I’m aware of the new policy,” Harsin said. “I appreciate you have to ask the question and understand it, but it doesn’t change -- I mean, the executive order, all those things, it doesn’t change the fact I’m not going to discuss any individual’s decision or status on the vaccine or anyone else’s, including my own, like I said before.”

Auburn’s vaccination mandate for employees was made in compliance with federal requirements announced Sept. 9 by President Joe Biden, who issued an executive order requiring all federal contractors provide adequate COVID-19 safeguards for their workforce, including vaccination of covered contractor employees. Auburn, a public research institution, is considered a federal contractor and maintains $200 million worth of federal contracts that are impacted by the order.

The university’s mandate, in accordance with that executive order, applies to all full-time and part-time employees, undergraduate and graduate student employees, as well as Temporary Employment Services employees at Auburn’s main campus, Auburn University at Montgomery, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

The Dec. 8 deadline for providing proof of vaccination means employees will have to received the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines by Nov. 24 or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Nov. 24. The university will also provide religious or medical exemptions from the mandate in “limited circumstances.”

Harsin has been consistent in his approach to questions about the vaccines -- all three of which have been approved by the CDC -- as it relates to his own status as well as that of his teams. At SEC Media Days, Harsin said Auburn’s roster had a vaccination rate of about 60 percent, which was well below the SEC’s recommended threshold. He has not provided an updated number since, though on multiple occasions over the last three months he has indicated the percentage of the Tigers’ roster that has received the vaccine has improved.

Harsin, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 19, was forced to miss 10 days of fall camp leading up to Auburn’s season opener. His most extensive comments about the vaccine came on Aug. 26, when he proclaimed he is “not anti-vaccine” and detailed the mitigation tactics Auburn has used within its program to help navigate the ongoing pandemic.

While Auburn’s 2021 season to date has not been drastically impacted by coronavirus-related setbacks and quarantines, the question of Harsin’s vaccination status now looms large over the final five games of the coach’s first season on the Plains, which includes three remaining games against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25 -- Saturday’s home game against No. 10 Ole Miss, next week’s road trip to No. 14 Texas A&M and the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27 against No. 3 Alabama.

Harsin, if not already fully vaccinated, will have to provide proof of vaccination or receive an exemption by Dec. 8 or risk termination less than a year after agreeing to a six-year deal worth $31.5 million. One Power 5 head coach has already been fired for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate this season as Washington State fired Nick Rolovich and four assistant coaches last week after they refused to get vaccinated following an order by Washington Governor Jay Inslee requiring all state employees and healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.

“From the beginning, I think I’ve made it clear that that wasn’t something that I was going to talk about or discuss,” Harsin said. “I wasn’t going to go down that road and don’t feel like right now that’s any different. We’re focused on Ole Miss. We’re focused on the things we have to do to get prepared for this week. There’s a lot of other things right now that we have to make sure we’re ready for on this football team. That’s what I’ve got to stay focused on with our players and our staff and the people in this program. So we’ve had those conversations, but that doesn’t change what I said before.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,653]

Most auburn s*** ever, guys might get booted for smoking CARTS and football coaches could get fired just bc they didn’t want the shot. Sigh 

[Ryan Sanders 123]

Who says he isn’t vaccinated? Some people prefer to keep stuff private. It would be different if Al.com wasn’t searching for ANYTHING to **** over someone’s career. He knows it. They can write what they want.. but his employer is the only one that needs to know. These beat writers need this s*** in order to write something.. cause most of em don’t have a clue on the X and Os. 

[AuburnEagle79 2,165]

What lasts longer, this thread or Sark's first tenure as Bama's OC? 

[BigBlueWDE 1,136]

And like clockwork, ESPN pushes it on their site too. Anything that could potentially distract a surging Auburn

[AuburnEagle79 2,165]

11 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Most auburn s*** ever, guys might get booted for smoking CARTS and football coaches could get fired just bc they didn’t want the shot. Sigh 

Whether on the field or off, the life of an Auburn fan is never a simple one. 

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

2 minutes ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

What lasts longer, this thread or Sark's first tenure as Bama's OC? 

Hopefully the latter 

[SLAG-91 1,483]

11 minutes ago, Ryan Sanders said:

Who says he isn’t vaccinated? Some people prefer to keep stuff private.

This right here. Journalists do not rise to the level of "need to know."

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

I'm gonna be pissed if Harsin gets cancelled by the Vax Nazis over their mandates but I wouldn't be surprised in the least.  

[AuCivilEng1 10,995]

12 minutes ago, BigBlueWDE said:

And like clockwork, ESPN pushes it on their site too. Anything that could potentially distract a surging Auburn

Where do you see that?

[BigBlueWDE 1,136]

Just now, AuCivilEng1 said:

Where do you see that?

push notification to my phone, article by Chris Low

[murpjf88 506]

16 minutes ago, Ryan Sanders said:

Who says he isn’t vaccinated? Some people prefer to keep stuff private. It would be different if Al.com wasn’t searching for ANYTHING to **** over someone’s career. He knows it. They can write what they want.. but his employer is the only one that needs to know. These beat writers need this s*** in order to write something.. cause most of em don’t have a clue on the X and Os. 

What does he have to gain by keeping that info private? The media will find out on Dec 8 regardless.  

[AUwent 3,747]

Well, when he got the beer bug it sounded like he was asymptomatic or close to it. Given what Delta has done to the unvaccinated, I’d actually be surprised if he was unvaccinated.

[W.E.D 11,070]

2 hours ago, Ryan Sanders said:

Who says he isn’t vaccinated? Some people prefer to keep stuff private. It would be different if Al.com wasn’t searching for ANYTHING to **** over someone’s career. He knows it. They can write what they want.. but his employer is the only one that needs to know. These beat writers need this s*** in order to write something.. cause most of em don’t have a clue on the X and Os. 

So constant drama for the next 6 weeks, possible religious exemption, rumors and speculation.....or just say "yes, I'm vaccinated"

 

[ThereGoesDavis 179]

What I do know is that those who got the vaccine have been extremely vocal about it. I’d find it unusual that he’s he’s giving these answers if he’s vaccinated, but who knows. 
 

There is the possibility that he feels strongly about having a choice. So strongly that he’d be willing to look elsewhere for a job. Look at WSU. This could be a reality we are facing.

My expert opinion as a seasoned Auburn fan is this:  We win out, gain tons of optimism for our new HC, then December rolls around and he’s fired. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,653]

8 minutes ago, ThereGoesDavis said:

What I do know is that those who got the vaccine have been extremely vocal about it. I’d find it unusual that he’s he’s giving these answers if he’s vaccinated, but who knows. 
 

There is the possibility that he feels strongly about having a choice. So strongly that he’d be willing to look elsewhere for a job. Look at WSU. This could be a reality we are facing.

My expert opinion as a seasoned Auburn fan is this:  We win out, gain tons of optimism for our new HC, then December rolls around and he’s fired. 

I pray the guy’s vaccinated, I really do. It’d be calamitous if we go to Atlanta, compete with UGA, and end up blowing the recruiting class and the program’s direction around the same time LSU should be cementing their HC prospects and guys who aren’t yet committed are in the home stretch. Not to mention literally everyone else in the West improving

For people who legitimately wonder why this is a reoccurring issue, it’s one that shapes the next half decade for Auburn football imo

[AubieinNC2009 79]

13 minutes ago, ThereGoesDavis said:

My expert opinion as a seasoned Auburn fan is this:  We win out, gain tons of optimism for our new HC, then December rolls around and he’s fired. 

Yeah that would suck and cause a revolt

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

Do people forget that Harsin actually had experts come in and educate the team about the vaccine? I highly doubt an anti vaxxer would do that. He has also said himself he’s not anti vax (which was also nobodies business in the first place). 

I think some fans care more about what the media says than Harsin and his players do. And that’s all I’m gonna say about this. 

[aubiefifty 16,747]

53 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Where do you see that?

Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin declines to disclose vaccination status as mandate deadline looms

3:50 PM CT

Chris LowESPN Senior Writer

With Auburn University last week mandating a Dec. 8 deadline for all university employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, head football coach Bryan Harsin on Monday declined to disclose whether or not he had received the vaccine or planned to receive it.

Harsin has refused multiple times to discuss his vaccination status going back to SEC media days in July and said it was a deeply personal decision for everyone. But his comments Monday were his first since the university announced on Oct. 22 that it had modified its vaccine policy to require all employees to be fully vaccinated or face termination.

"I'm aware of the new policy and appreciate you have to ask the question and understand it, but it doesn't change -- the executive order and all those things -- that I'm not going to discuss any individual's decision or status on the vaccine or anyone else's, including my own," said Harsin, who's in his first season as Auburn's coach.

"From the beginning, I think I've made it clear that wasn't something I was going to talk about or discuss and wasn't going to go down that road. I don't feel like right now that's any different."

No. 18 Auburn, which has won three of its past four games, faces No. 10 Ole Miss on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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"We're focused on Ole Miss. We're focused on the things we have to do to get prepared for this week," Harsin said. "... We've had those conversations [about the vaccine], but that doesn't change what I've said before."

According to Auburn's new policy, there could be limited circumstances where an employee is legally entitled to a medical or religious accommodation from being required to take the vaccine. The Dec. 8 deadline for providing proof of vaccination means employees need to have the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines by Nov. 24 or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Nov. 24.

Harsin tested positive for COVID-19 in August and said at the time that he was not "anti-vaccine" and that any narrative along those lines was "misinformed."

"I fully support the choice for anyone to vaccinate and I also support getting reliable data-driven information into the hands of those who still have questions about the vaccine," Harsin said in August. "Anyone who has been in our facility knows that."

Last week, Washington State fired head football coach Nick Rolovich and four assistant coaches after they refused to comply with a mandate that required all state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Rolovich is suing Washington State for illegal termination, in part because of what his lawsuit calls "discriminatory and vindictive behavior" by athletic director Pat Chun.

Some college football coaches, including Alabama's Nick Saban, have done public service announcements urging fans to be vaccinated.

[Guest MustardSeed]

1 hour ago, W.E.D said:

possible religious exemption

What in the world is this implying?

[SRBautigerfan 1,040]

38 minutes ago, ThereGoesDavis said:

then December rolls around and he’s fired.

Or maybe...

[WalkingCarpet 1,379]

I'd be willing to be money Harsin got vaccinated months ago. The difference is he isn't a clout chasing child like redditors and twitter blue checks who want pats on the head for doing absolutely nothing. Idiots like Joe Goodman are absolutely not on a need-to-know basis on this issue. 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 hour ago, Ryan Sanders said:

Who says he isn’t vaccinated? Some people prefer to keep stuff private. It would be different if Al.com wasn’t searching for ANYTHING to **** over someone’s career. He knows it. They can write what they want.. but his employer is the only one that needs to know. These beat writers need this s*** in order to write something.. cause most of em don’t have a clue on the X and Os. 

Thank you. I am so frigging tired of this BS. Just because someone doesn't give out their personal private health information to people that have zero business knowing and now everybody starts up with this crap. This same BS happened to me by many on this site because I support the right for people to choose. Good for Coach. Makes me love him even more.

[Swamp Eagle 5,130]

56 minutes ago, murpjf88 said:

What does he have to gain by keeping that info private? The media will find out on Dec 8 regardless.  

I’ll tell you what he has to gain…watching fools out themselves as quasi-journalists.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

2 minutes ago, SRBautigerfan said:

Or maybe...

That's GOV MEE MAW.....THEY HAVE AWOKEN GRANNY .....AND IT INT GONE BE PURTY! LFG GMM