Anthony Rizzo draws backlash for opting not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. ‘It’s a decision I made, and I stand with it,’ says Chicago Cubs first baseman.
As Wrigley Field opened up Friday to 100% capacity for the first time since September 2019, the Chicago Cubs were answering questions about players who chose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Cubs are one of only eight MLB teams not to have reached the 85% threshold for fully vaccinated tier-one personnel. First baseman Anthony Rizzo told WMVP-AM 1000 host David Kaplan on Friday that he decided not to get vaccinated, becoming the first Cubs player to admit it publicly.
Rizzo, who quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, was unavailable for comment before Friday’s 8-5 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
After the game, Rizzo said in a teleconference it was a “life decision” made for “personal reasons” and he was “for people getting it.” He added he was “taking more time to see the data” on the vaccine.
A cancer survivor, Rizzo said he consulted with doctors and said it was a personal decision.
“It weighed hard,” he said. “It’s a decision I made, and I stand with it. Obviously there are people that are going to hate me and think I’m disgusting, and there are people that are going to side with me. It’s out in the open. I try to keep everything personal, but as far as being a leader on this team, I go out there every day and play your best baseball. Don’t be an idiot off the field, just continue to be smart and be aware of everything that’s going on.”
Cubs President Jed Hoyer declined to talk about Rizzo’s status, saying he didn’t “feel comfortable talking about anyone’s individual choices” on the vaccine.
“Ultimately you have the individual choices of 100 people when you factor in tier-one and tier-two (personnel),” he said Friday in an on-field interview with the Chicago media. “There are a lot of individual choices that are going into (a decision). I wish those individuals choices led to us being 85% (fully vaccinated).
“They haven’t. But commenting on any one person, I don’t feel comfortable doing it.”
Manager David Ross said in San Diego he hoped fans would not judge players’ decisions after a fan yelled “get vaxxed” to one player during a recent Cubs game in San Francisco. But Rizzo already was being criticized on the internet for not getting the vaccine.
Hoyer said he hoped fans wouldn’t treat Cubs players who were not vaccinated any differently than before.
“I don’t think that’s a positive,” Hoyer said. “Our players, especially guys that have been here for a long time, have built up an incredible equity in the community with the fans. And making a personal choice, and one they’re probably not going to articulate to the fans, it’d be a shame if the fans decided to take all that equity and get rid of it.”
Rizzo said any time you reveal a decision like this it’s going to “be a big topic” and reiterated he is not opposed to the vaccine.
“It’s not easy one way or the other,” he said. “There are a lot of lives that are being saved by this vaccine. There are a lot of people getting back to their normal life, and that’s amazing. That’s what we want. It’s amazing to see everyone here in the stands, drinking beer, having fun and enjoying their life again. Whatever that takes for people to get to that threshold, I’m all for.”
Shortstop Javier Báez, who publicly has promoted getting vaccinated, defended Rizzo for being honest in the interview.
“He was just asked, and he didn’t lie about it,” he said.
Báez said he got vaccinated “because I got kids and I’ve got to protect them, and it was a family decision.
“Everyone feels different, and they just don’t believe in it right now. We respect his decision. … We know who the people are who are not (vaccinated). We respect him.”
MLB on Friday released a statement saying 22 teams have reached the 85% threshold of their tier-one individuals being considered fully vaccinated, “which ... will allow for the relaxation of certain health and safety protocols.” The statement also said: “As of today, 85.1% of all tier-one individuals are considered partially or fully vaccinated,” meaning they have received at least one vaccine dose.
Ross said Friday that Rizzo’s decision “doesn’t change my outlook” on him.
“I still respect him a whole lot,” Ross said. “It’s his decision. He’s one of my best friends. He’s a big piece of our team. ... We move forward and respect that and do our best trying to follow the protocols and keep the virus outside our locker room.”
Asked if it was upsetting that the team may not reach the 85% threshold, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said it was a clubhouse issue that he would leave to Ross and Hoyer. He wasn’t worried about potential future ramifications from any COVID-19 related issues.
“I respect all their decisions in the clubhouse and I respect how the manager wants to handle it,” he said. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
Will the Cubs ever get to the 85% threshold to relax COVID-19 protocols?
“We’ll see,” Báez said. “Hopefully we’ll get there. If not we’ll try our best to do it.”
Hoyer said he’ll continue to try to change players’ minds to reach the threshold because it’s the right thing to do.
“We shouldn’t only focus on the 85% (threshold),” he said. “We should focus on getting guys vaccinated. But am I optimistic? No, I’m not.”
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