The Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday attempted to walk back comments made by Urban Meyer a day earlier, when the first-year head coach said players’ COVID-19 vaccination status was among the factors considered when cutting down the team’s roster.

The NFL Players Association says the remark prompted it to open an investigation. The NFL encourages but does not require players to be vaccinated, and an agreement between the league and union reportedly prohibits teams from making personnel decisions based on vaccination status.

In a statement, the Jaguars insisted no player was cut because he was unvaccinated but said availability was a consideration.

"Availability is one of the many factors taken into account when making roster decisions," the team said. "We have vaccinated and unvaccinated players on our roster, and no player was released because of their vaccination status.

"Ultimately, decisions are based on a player’s ability to help the Jaguars win. We educate our players and respect personal decisions as it pertains to the vaccine. We want to keep our players, staff and families safe as we comply with protocols related to both health and safety and competition on game days."

During a news conference Tuesday, Meyer said: "Everyone was considered. That was part of the (considerations such as) production, let's start talking about this, and also, is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration."

Tuesday was the deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters down to 53.

While the NFL does not have a vaccine mandate for players, its protocols for the upcoming season are stricter for the unvaccinated. Among them, vaccinated players are being tested weekly, while unvaccinated players are tested daily. Unvaccinated players who are deemed close contacts of infected individuals may miss games and practices while being forced to quarantine even if they test negative, while vaccinated players who test negative will not. And unvaccinated players are required to wear masks around team facilities, outside of games and practices, while vaccinated players are not.

In addition, a team could face a forfeit if it cannot play due to a COVID-19 outbreak caused by unvaccinated players or staff and the league cannot reschedule the game.

An NFL spokesman said on Aug. 3 that 90% of the league’s players had been fully vaccinated. On Aug. 20, Meyer said the Jaguars were 84% vaccinated.

Spectrum News has reached out to the NFLPA for further comment about Meyer’s remarks.

In May, Bills general manager Brian Beane said in a radio interview that he would considering cutting unvaccinated players, arguing that getting the team to reach herd immunity could give it a competitive advantage. According to ESPN, the NFL called Beane afterward and warned him not to release any players because they are unvaccinated.