NFL Wide Receiver Cole Beasley Slams Michael Irvin’s Claim That Unvaxxed Players Don’t Want to Win

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley continues to be one of the NFL’s most outspoken players against getting the Covid-19 vaccine. He might be the most vocal, but Beasley certainly isn’t alone in his desire to refuse the vaccine.

With NFL training camps beginning to open this week, only 13 of the league’s 32 teams have reached the 85 percent vaccination threshold, which allows for reduced Covid-19 restrictions. Two teams failed to even reach 50 percent.

On Monday, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported former wide receiver Michael Irvin was very disappointed to see his Dallas Cowboys fall short of the 85 percent mark, claiming it was a sign of players who didn’t care about winning.

“Dude, you’re not thinking right,” Irvin said. “Nothing else can be more important…And not being one of the [85 percent vaccinated teams] says there’s other things to a great number of people on this team that are more important than winning championships, and that makes me worried.”

After seeing Irvin’s comments, Beasley took to Twitter attempting to defend his stance against the vaccine.

That’s not what that means. You can be vaccinated and not do all the right things football wise to be at your best. All it means is players are gonna be out there with covid and we won’t know cause they only get tested once a week so the NFL can make their money. https://t.co/VukRFeeOp3

— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) July 19, 2021

“That’s not what that means,” Beasley said in response to Irvin. “You can be vaccinated and not do all the right things football wise to be at your best. All it means is players are gonna be out there with covid and we won’t know cause they only get tested once a week so the NFL can make their money.”

Beasley’s right, the NFL certainly does not want to cancel games because of Covid outbreaks this season. But he’s mistaken about the league’s testing protocols. Unvaccinated players will be tested daily, while those who are vaccinated will be tested every two weeks.

It also remains possible that a fully vaccinated player can test positive for Covid. However, Irvin’s point about having an advantage when your team is 85 percent vaccinated remains true because of the reduced protocols.

This was not the first time Beasley made it clear that he won’t be getting vaccinated. In May, the Bills wide receiver mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci for stating vaccinated people could safely go outdoors without a mask. One month later, Beasley expressed his intentions to skip the vaccine. “I’d rather take my chances with Covid and build up my immunity that way,” Beasley wrote in a statement. “Eat better. Drink water. Exercise and do what I think is necessary to be a healthy individual.”