Cole Beasley Rips NFLPA Over COVID-19 Restrictions
Cole Beasley has joined Joe Mixon in ripping the NFL Players Association after the league released its COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season.
As would be expected, the restrictions on unvaccinated players are far harsher than those who have been vaccinated. While vaccinated players can mostly return to normal, those who haven't gotten the vaccine essentially face the same restrictions as in 2020.
Mixon took to Twitter on Wednesday to blast the NFLPA for allowing such harsh restrictions against unvaccinated players and Beasley joined him on Thursday.
This is crazy. Did we vote on this? I stay in the hotel. We still have meetings. We will all be together. Vaccinated players can go out the hotel and bring covid back in to where I am. So what does it matter if I stay in the hotel now? 100 percent immune with vaccination? No. https://t.co/g61WM8zAOh
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 17, 2021
The players association is a joke. Call it something different. It’s not for the players. Everyone gives me the 98 percent of people who are vaccinated don’t get covid again. The odds of me getting in the NFL and playing for 10 years are lower than that and I’m here.
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 17, 2021
So what are we really talking about? I understand completely why the NFL is doing this. It gives them back the freedom to make the most money as possible again if everyone is vaccinated. But will anyone fight for the players or nah?
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 17, 2021
That’s all…I don’t know who I need to talk to but someone has to get it right. That’s why I’m on here. Hopefully the right people will see it and at least think about how all this NFLPA stuff works. It needs to be changed.
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 17, 2021
As we discussed yesterday during Mixon's outburst, there are obvious reasons why the restrictions are what they are: to protect players from getting or spreading a deadly virus. While Beasley doesn't think the players' union is standing up for him, what it is doing is protecting the rest of the players from the unvaccinated guys. Vaccines aren't foolproof, a small percentage of vaccinated people will get COVID-19. But if enough people get the vaccine it won't matter, because the number of unprotected people will be so small the spread will stop.
So while Beasley doesn't feel like the NFLPA isn't standing up for his interests, it is standing up for the interests of other players. Besides, it's just smart to get the vaccine as a competitive advantage. Teams with a large number of vaccinated players are less likely to have someone miss a big game during the season because if a positive test, or have a key player suffer long-term issues like Jayson Tatum did.
When Beasley was asked why he hadn't gotten the vaccine he replied the way all the anti-vax folks have:
Why does it matter what my reasons are? It’s a personal choice. That means I don’t have to explain to anyone why I do what I do. Just like everything else in my life.
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 17, 2021
Well, if you're not getting the vaccine, therefore impacting your team and going public complaining about restrictions put on you, then yes you might have to explain yourself.