Bill Belichick says Cam Newton's vaccination status wasn't a factor in the New England Patriots' decision to release him.

"No. Look, you guys keep talking about that," Belichick said.

"I would just point out that I don't know what the number is, but the number of players, coaches and staff members that have been affected by COVID in this training camp -- who have been vaccinated -- is a pretty high number. So I wouldn't lose sight of that."

Newton was away from the Patriots for five days last week due to what the team called a COVID protocol "misunderstanding."