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The Buffalo Bills' Cole Beasley, who has come out against getting the COVID vaccine, recently tweeted about the COVID-19 vaccine and a fine his teammate incurred for violating NFL protocols.
The Bills receiver rushed to the aid of teammate Isaiah McKenzie on Thursday after McKenzie posted a letter from the NFL informing him he'd been fined for violating coronavirus protocols.
Don’t worry they got me too. But I was wearing a mask when I was in close contact with fully vaxxed trainer who tested positive and still got sent home. So what’s the point of the mask anyways? Meanwhile I’m here still testing negative and can’t come back. Make it make sense. https://t.co/VGzoy0ljb4
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) August 26, 2021
McKenzie, who sustained a shoulder injury in practice Tuesday, was caught by the NFL for not wearing a mask at the Bills facility and fined $14,650 in a violation of the NFL-NFLPA coronavirus protocols Wednesday.
$14,650 damn ??Pray for me ? https://t.co/rIFkYgV7gJ
— Isaiah McKenzie (@_IsaiahMcKenzie) August 26, 2021
Beasley admitted the league had fined him the same amount for a similar undisclosed violation. Because both players are unvaccinated, if Beasley and McKenzie continue to flout protocols, each will be subject to additional punishments. According to NFL COVID rules, repeat offenders will forfeit gameday checks and could be suspended for four games without pay for conduct detrimental to his team.
Beasley and fellow unvaccinated receiver Gabriel Davis are already subject to a five-day quarantine after close contact with a Bills athletic trainer who tested positive for the virus Tuesday. The trainer reportedly was fully vaccinated.
Beasley has been one of the most vocal opponents of getting jabbed. He wrote a rap song in July about why he would not get vaccinated and published a statement that went viral on Twitter last month where he defended his choice to not get jabbed, saying "I may get COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."
The NFL has said that more than 90 percent of its players have received the COVID-19 vaccine, but the Bills are reportedly one of four teams whose vaccination rate is below 89 percent. Bills fifth-year coach Sean McDermott dedicated 11 minutes of his 14-minute press availability to questions about the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday. He said it was "frustrating" that he has been unable to convince his unvaccinated players to get their shots.
"There's people's livelihoods at stake in terms of people's jobs being judged on wins and losses," McDermott said. "That's why this is a team game, and being able to count on people is important."
McDermott, who is fully vaccinated but defended each player's personal choice to not get the vaccine, also lamented McKenzie's docked pay while also indirectly calling for both he and Beasley to lay off social media.
"It's unfortunate when players get fined," McDermott said. "That being said, these rules have been agreed upon and in place and well communicated for some time. It's important for us that we focus on: A. being safe and healthy and No. 2 to focus on the goal and why we're here, which is to win football games."
McDermott said a player's vaccine status will not affect his place on Buffalo's roster. However, he admitted that the Bills could be put at a competitive disadvantage if more of their players remain unvaccinated.
"When the numbers are the numbers, some people are in a better position than we are," he said. "When you're going through a week, if this were a real week and having the players out that we have, it makes it hard to win games that way."
