CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – Members of the UC Clermont men’s basketball team have no plans to play this season as they have said they are collectively against the vaccination mandate COVID-19 from the university.
The team’s players have said they are looking forward to a successful season, but from now on they will be sitting on it.
“We don’t get a full scholarship to come here, and it can get expensive, so making this type of decision for us is a bit extreme and difficult for a lot of us,” said Kort Justice, student and player.
The University of Cincinnati now has a vaccine mandate in place. He says all UC students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 12, or they risk being withdrawn from in-person classes for the spring semester.
With the men’s basketball season set to begin on November 6, the UC Clermont players have said they have decided together as a team that they will not get shot.
“It’s not that we don’t understand, and we’re just picky, we don’t know what’s for sure,” said Morris Duffy, a student and player. “We don’t know what we’re putting in our body, if that’s for sure, how our body will react.”
Some players have said they might seek exemptions for religious reasons, but they are mainly looking for alternative options.
The teammates said that despite their decision, they take COVID seriously and are prepared to take other protocols, such as wearing a mask.
“I’d rather get tested than get the vaccine,” said Gregory Marsh, player and student.
The players said they felt pressured to get the shot or stop playing basketball.
“We just want to do the hoop. It is more or less that. We just want to do the hoop, ”said student and player Ish Ismail. “We just want to do the hoop. We were going for this ring this season. That’s all that mattered.
While the UC Clermont team is against the vaccination mandate, many others have expressed that they support the demands and have been or are planning to be vaccinated.
A spokesperson for the University of Cincinnati did not respond to a request for comment on the team’s decision.
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