Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley railed against the NFL’s new and very rigid COVID-19 protocols for training camp and the preseason. Beasley proclaimed that he is prepared to walk away from the NFL, “My values are more important to me than a dollar.”
The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed upon new COVID-19 protocols, which are far more critical of unvaccinated players than those who are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated players will face daily COVID-19 tests, must wear a mask in the team facility and during travel, and are barred from leaving the hotel to eat at a restaurant. First violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols can result in a $50,000 fine.
Some NFL players voiced their displeasure with the new restrictions as well as the NFLPA. One of the more outspoken players against the strict rules is Beasley, who on Thursday called the restrictions “crazy” and said the NFLPA is a “joke.”
There was swift backlash to Beasley’s opinions on the NFL’s COVID-19 rules, to which he responded to his critics with an even more powerful stance against the new restrictions.
Beasley began his response captioned by declaring, “Hi, I’m Cole Beasley, and I’m not vaccinated!”
“I will be outside doing what I do. I’ll be out in the public. If (you’re) scared of me, then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period,” he tweeted on Friday. “I may die of COVID, but I’d rather die actually living.”