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Colts camp move-in day features IndyCar escort

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts moved into Grand Park on Tuesday ahead of a jam-packed training camp schedule, which includes 19 practices.

It was a quiet day for the entire roster in comparison to one popular Colt.

Cornerback Kenny Moore II made quite the entrance to camp in a two-seater IndyCar with Arrow McLaren SP’s star driver Pato O’Ward as his chauffeur.

Unfortunately for Moore II, the ride in Westfield didn’t feel as cool as it looked.

“Very uncomfortable. It is hard to get comfortable because you can feel every bump,” Moore said.

The day also featured seven in-person player interviews, a first for the team since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following Monday’s news of head coach Frank Reich’s breakthrough positive COVID-19 case, questions regarding why the Colts are among the league’s five lowest-vaccinated teams dominated the conversation on Tuesday.

Of the seven players who met with the media Tuesday, Moore II, DeForest Buckner, Zaire Franklin, Nyheim Hines and Parris Campbell confirmed they received the vaccination.

“Truthfully, I didn’t want to get vaccinated, but it was a business decision,” running back Hines said. “With the protocols, I just wanted to follow the rules.”

Meanwhile, defensive tackle Buckner said when his teammates ask him why he chose to get vaccinated, he shares his personal experience with COVID-19.

“I got COVID last season, and I was asymptotic,” Buckner said. “I was around my grandparents, and I could have given it to them. I look at that scenario and not knowing I had it, and I could have passed it along to them, and I would have felt terrible.”

T.Y. Hilton, Jonathan Taylor and Khari Willis declined to specify their decision on the vaccine.

“I don’t want to go into detail because I know there is a lot of riff right now,” running back Taylor said. “I am doing what is right for me. I feel like right now, I need to wear a mask until this variant and everything else is done with.”

On Wednesday, fans will have a front-row seat in the stands at Grand Park to watch quarterback Carson Wentz’s first practice as a Colt.

Despite Reich’s absence early at camp, Wentz and the offense are downplaying any hint that this may slow the unit’s progress this week.

“Talking to him, he’s excited,” wide receiver Hilton said. “The city has embraced him, and we’ve embraced him in the locker room. He is relaxed. We did a great job getting him in, sitting him down, and letting him know, you can just be you.”

Before the football even starts, there is plenty to discuss at Grand Park.