Dallas Cowboys fans nervous about COVID-19 vaccine give it a shot at NFL Draft party
Clayton Trepagnier III and Lamonic Jenkins of Fort Worth were a little leery of the COVID-19 vaccine.
But the longtime Dallas Cowboys fans — Trepagnier’s family have had season tickets since 1972 — put their apprehensions aside Thursday night.
They were two of 67 people attending the Cowboys NFL Draft party at The Star in Frisco to receive the COVID vaccine shot at the event.
The Cowboys partnered with Baylor Scott & White to administer the vaccines at a row of stations set up at the back of The Star arena.
“It didn’t take long, nice conversation,” said Trepagnier, 66. “It hasn’t been a year yet since everything has been developed,” he said, referring to fears by some of unforeseen issues with the vaccine. “That’s the biggest fear. When you’re the first one, [you wonder] what the long-term effects might be.”
“It’s kind of like the flu shot. You never know,” Jenkins said, echoing concerns by some about getting sick from the vaccine.
Both appeared to be handling the vaccine just fine while they waited with others during a 15-minute precautionary waiting period.
Even if Trepagnier’s arm was a little sore, he was probably feeling no pain after the Cowboys selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons with their first-round pick.
“We need linebacker, nose guard, something in the middle,” he said before the Cowboys’ selection. “Then we’ll worry about the outside.”
Richard Gonzalez III of Allen has been on vaccine waiting lists for months but jumped at the chance to get the shot at The Star.
“I just came here with my family to watch the draft and have a good time and I’m like, ‘Can I really get a shot?’” he said. He’s set up to receive his second dose on May 20.
Sierra McCoy of Forney was also a little nervous about the vaccine, thanks to internet rumors and disproved conspiracy theories.
“I’ve been in the middle about it,” McCoy said. “I was concerned about getting sick afterwards. And people were talking on the internet about how the government is chipping you. I was so nervous.”
More than 120 people registered for the NFL Draft day vaccine, Baylor Scott & White representative Matthew Olivolo said.
“They’re the only team doing this. They’re kind of leading the way,” Olivolo said of the Cowboys. “Getting [the vaccine] out into the community, they may not have had access to it. They’re here, why not get it?”
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 10:00 PM.