Yahoo Finance Allison Williams And ESPN Part Ways For Good Over Vaccine Refusal
ESPN reporter Allison Williams has been sidelined for good after refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by parent company Disney.
In a tearful Instagram video over the weekend, the journalist said she will be “separated from the company” because her request for an exemption to the vaccine requirement was denied. (Watch the video below.)
Williams previously announced that she was taking a leave of absence from college-football sideline reporting for her “personal health.” She said she would not get inoculated while trying to have a second child, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people seeking to get pregnant take a vaccine. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination poses a threat to fertility.
In her Instagram video, Williams downplayed the effectiveness of the vaccines and said Disney’s mandate goes against her personal beliefs.
“Belief is a word I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this,” Williams said. “And I’ve had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately, I need to put them first.”
Williams, who started at ESPN in 2011, applauded pilots, police officers, first responders and others who have also rejected the shots in order to put their “beliefs first.”
Last month, ESPN reporter Sage Steele said she got inoculated to avoid being fired but called Disney’s vaccine mandate “sick” and “scary.” Steele, who reportedly contracted COVID-19, later apologized for her remarks and was temporarily taken off the air.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
