Michael Irvin is 'Hot' About Amari Cooper Not Being Vaccinated

Michael Irvin is a passionate man about most things, but nothing gets him going quite like talking about the Dallas Cowboys. It was a tough week for Irvin on that front as the Cowboys were easily handled by the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, putting a large dent in their Super Bowl contender status.

The primary reason Dallas lost that game was the availability of their top talent. The Cowboys were missing two starters on offense going into the game and lost two more when CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott both exited early. Dallas had one player who wasn't hurt but still couldn't play-- Amari Cooper, who hit the COVID list after testing positive late last week.

When Cooper tested positive, it was announced he'd also miss the Cowboys' annual Thanksgiving Day game because he is unvaccinated and thus has to adhere to the 10-day minimum for isolation. Vaccinated players can return in fewer than 10 days if they test negative a certain number of times. So there was a chance, however slim, that Cooper would have only missed one game if he was vaxxed. Since he is not, we'll never know.

Irvin was asked by TMZ what he thought about that, and the former Cowboys star was visibly frustrated. He told TMZ he was "hot" about it and expressed his firm belief that football players should be doing whatever it takes to help their team. If that means getting the jab and significantly lowering the chances of missing games due to a COVID diagnosis, then Cooper should have done that.

Here's the full interview via TMZ:

It was unfortunate timing for Cooper and his team. The receiver was dealing with a hamstring injury and thus wouldn't have been 100 percent even if he was on the field, but like Irvin said, Dak Prescott is throwing to guys like Cedric Wilson and Noah Brown instead of his No. 1 wideout. That has an impact, as we saw on Sunday.

The Cowboys have a slightly easier matchup on Thursday going up against the Raiders, so Cooper's absence probably won't cost them two games. But this is what happens when athletes aren't willing to go the full distance to ensure their availability for their team. Dallas and Cooper are feeling the consequences.