Eagles

Carson Wentz Cleared to Play Against Raiders

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jan 2nd, 2022 · 9:43 AM EST

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It’s the update you’ve all been waiting for:

Now officially official. https://t.co/CCgjvqoqK6

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2022

While #Colts QB Carson Wentz was on the transaction wire as having cleared the COVID-19 list yesterday, today he needed a symptom check (no fever for 24 hours, other symptoms improving). At that point, a medical professional needed to clear him. Wentz received that.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2022

This is actually bad news because we wanted Wentz to miss the game and the Colts to lose, to improve that first round draft pick they are sending to the Eagles. Although if we’re being honest, all Sam Ehlinger would have had to do is hand the ball to Jonathan Taylor 30 times.

But it seems like there’s a lot of confusion here. How is Wentz able to play if he was unvaccinated and tested positive for COVID last week?

Simple explanation. The NFL actually changed their return to play rules on Tuesday, adopting the new guidelines set forth by the CDC. This included shortening isolation time from 10 days to five days.

So if we’re having a discussion about whether or not he “let his team down,” it’s open to interpretation. When Carson decided not to get the COVID vaccine back in the summer, he knew he’d be subjected to a different rule set for return to play. It was more difficult for unvaccinated players to clear protocol and get back on the field. In this case, he was in line to miss today’s game, but the NFL updated their guidelines AFTER he was placed on the COVID list, which shortened the timeline and allowed him to pass through in time for Week 17.

That’s the explanation, though I’m sure people will ignore it entirely  and this story will devolve into pro-vax anti-vax social media arguments.