Canberra coach Ricky Stuart says NRL players have a right to refuse flu shots
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart says the controversial decision of three Raiders players to refuse the NRL’s flu vaccinations is a personal decision and was not intended to be a political statement.
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Ricky Stuart has defended his three Canberra Raiders stars who have refused to sign the NRL’s vaccination waivers.
Stuart insists the fact his grand final stars Josh Papalii, Joe Tapine and Sia Soliola rejected flu injections had nothing to do with an anti-vaccination campaign.
“At no stage did they want to create any media attention,” Stuart told The Daily Telegraph.
“So it’s not an anti-vax crusades. No one is making a statement. This was about their own private and personal principles.”
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Stuart spoke to Soliola after training in the national capital this afternoon. He is still to talk to Papalii and Tapine and will wait until he gets a decision from the independent commission on their immediate futures.
“They’re actually rattled by the attention that it’s created,” Stuart said, “There were couple of sentences in the waiver that they didn’t believe in.
“They could have signed it but it was against their principles. They don’t want to create any animosity or harm the game in any way. I know that for a fact
“Sia actually came in and said he’s sorry about the attention that’s it created.
“We can only wait now until the commission has made a decision on their next move.”
Originally published as Canberra coach Ricky Stuart says NRL players have a right to refuse flu shots