Bill Belichick Says Cam Newton's Vaccine Status Didn't Spark Release

Bill Belichick is clearing the air on why Cam Newton is no longer a New England Patriot ... saying it had NOTHING to do with the QB's COVID-19 vaccine status.

The longtime Pats head coach addressed the decision to sack the 2015 MVP with reporters on Wednesday ... and while he didn't budge on most of the questions surrounding the roster move, he made sure to squash any indication it was related to Cam being unvaccinated.

"No," Belichick said bluntly ... before claiming vaccinated players have had issues with COVID as well.

"The number of players and 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."

Belichick adds there are other players on the team who haven't gotten the jab ... and having everyone vaccinated wouldn't guarantee other issues from popping up.

"Your implication that vaccination solves every problem is just not really ... I would say that has not been substantiated based on what's happening in training camp this year. That's all."

Of course, Cam ran into some issues last week after some confusion surrounding daily testing ... and was forced to keep away from the team for 5 days.