Cole Beasley announces he will not be following Covid protocols, willing to retire

[machine gun kelly]

25 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Lost in all of this is the mystery of why Cole is missing a tooth in the minicamp photos 

He watched Slapshot.  Just foilin up coach…

 

Guys, this is like last summer.  No one is convincing anyone of anything.  Everyone already made up their mind.  I just wish he would keep his fellow players safe if he wants to not vacc.  Totally fine if he doesn’t.  He should absolutely be able to take any risk he wants for himself and loved ones.  That’s his call.  Screwing up our season is another.

 

I hope kind of like Polian pulled Thurmon and Kelly into his office in 1989 with the bickering bills, he was able to get them to cut it out.  Not in this case getting vacc., just get out of the media and work together as a team.  No shot, no problem, but just live with the mask and other stuff. If the answer is no, goodbye and we’ll miss you.

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by machine gun kelly

[Mojo44]

17 minutes ago, DaggersEOD said:

The thing to remember is that despite all the loud moral condemnations of the very vocal “pro shot” crowd, they hold the minority position. 
 

We’re still hovering around the 50% mark and of the 50% that took the shot, a significant portion of them did so to avoid the artificial, government enforced consequences, not because they felt they needed/wanted it.  
 

Beas holds the majority opinion and is not alone. Being loud doesn’t mean being right.  

With respect, the conclusions you draw are wrong. The primary reason why many still remain unvaccinated is access, pure and simple. And to think that a “significant“ portion of those who got vaccinated did so only to avoid enforced restrictions is a real shot from the hip.  Beasley is not in the majority to say the least. 
 

Access and time are the two most important factors right now. The vaccine has been available only for a few months. Realistically, if you think about it, it will take a year or so to get most citizens vaccinated. 

 

[CorkScrewHill]

1 minute ago, Mojo44 said:

With respect, the conclusions you draw are wrong. The primary reason why many still remain unvaccinated is access, pure and simple. And to think that a “significant“ portion of those who got vaccinated did so only to avoid enforced restrictions is a real shot from the hip.  Beasley is not in the majority to say the least. 
 

Access and time are the two most important factors right now. The vaccine has been available only for a few months. Realistically, if you think about it, it will take a year or so to get most citizens vaccinated. 

 

You must be from NY … in uncivilized West Virginia where we surprisingly don’t pay 90% of our income in taxes you can go online at any time and make an appointment for the next day at any pharmacy. 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

I think the dust will ultimately settle on this before the season starts. I believe Beasley is making his opinion strongly know now in trying to actually get rules changed. Whether he succeeds or not ultimately I expect he will do what is necessary to dress on Sundays. On a side note, I won't be shocked if Allen ends up not getting the vaccine. But if that is the case Allen will likely follow protocols and I think if Allen does it will help open Beasley's eyes in doing the same. 

[Magox]

6 minutes ago, K-9 said:

That applies to teammates that are vaccinated. What percentage of teammates aren’t vaccinated? Are those that aren’t at higher risk or not?

Yes, but they are grown adults.  They have access to the vaccine and they have been informed and educated on the efficacy of the vaccine.  The ones who have decided to not take the virus are at a statistically very low odds of dying. There were nearly 300 known positive cases from active NFL players and to my knowledge none of them died.

 

The point is, they have the choice to take the vaccine, if they contract it and have medical complications then that is their own fault.  We aren't in the same place we were months ago, things now have changed dramatically and the risks of having complications from COVID are declining precipitously week over week and the options to protect ourselves are increasing.    We all make decisions every day that has some sort of risk ramifications to them, there is always a risk cost - benefit analysis in the decisions we make.   

 

To get back to the crux of it all, the dictates/guidelines are too draconian and should be revised and amended.

[17islongenough]

So I'm guessing this is a concern in the Bills locker room if he felt confident enough to share it via social media.  

 

Also does anyone know what happened to his tooth? 

 

[HalftimeAdjustment]

7 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

How many other players are going to pronounce they're financially set in the same way?

 

Not too many so far. And... next man up. There will be other players who get paid as a result.

 

Now, I hope that Cole does not retire. Most likely the protocols will get relaxed if the situation continues to improve. But if he does retire, it will hurt us for a season... and yet the NFL as a whole will move on.

[CNYfan]

2 minutes ago, CorkScrewHill said:

You must be from NY … in uncivilized West Virginia where we surprisingly don’t pay 90% of our income in taxes you can go online at any time and make an appointment for the next day at any pharmacy. 

There are next day appointments available throughout Upstate NY.  Even same day.   State income tax is a bother, but not 90% - Good Schools for the most part.

Edited June 19, 2021 by CNYfan
spelling

[IronyAbounds]

17 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Having imperfect answers is not the same thing as having no answers. It was the same discussion we had with the mask mandates. Things were happening too quickly for scientists to know exactly how effective masks would be at preventing the spread of covid. It was and is a quickly evolving public health crisis, they have to use the best information available to them. All the information said that mask mandates prevented the spread of the virus. Ergo statewide mask mandates.

 

Now there is clear information that the vaccines help prevent the spread on an exponentially higher level than anything else we've tried. It's not 100% preventive. Nobody knows the exact percentage and they'll continue studying until we do. But that doesn't mean you throw out the entire measure. We know it works. Public health policies still have to be drafted around what we know.

Wow, a voice of reason on the Internet. Who knew.

[Pokebball]

34 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

I dunno, man. You don’t want the shot, don’t get it. But you don’t get to fart around and do things that can put your teammates at risk. 

I get your point, however there is the counter point that anyone and everyone that doesn't get the vaccine is accepting the risk themselves.  While the unvaccinated arguably put each other at risk, individually they are accepting that risk.

[PastaJoe]

22 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

Right, but we now know the immunity lasts considerably longer than that.  With that said, I am a big believer in data and the data conclusively shows that vaccines saves lives so even though someone had previously contracted COVID, if they decided to get the vaccine, I'm cool with that.  I don't believe it's necessary because of all the things that I had previously mentioned but there are some studies that show that it gives an additional boost of protection.

 

We are at the stage now that everything in my view should go back to normal with some adjustments.  The vaccine is available to virtually everyone who is vulnerable to the virus, so if anyone who catches the virus now and happens to have a bad outcome, they had the choice to take the vaccine.  In other words, the argument that "You are putting other people at risk" loses it's edge because the people who contract it, had the option to get the vaccine and they decided not to.

 

 

Unfortunately unless and until we reach herd immunity, the virus can mutate into a variant that is immune to  the vaccine protection. So it could affect everyone again, so why take the chance.

[DrPJax]

17 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

They may actually provide an opt out option this year. It’s still on the table 

 

but based on beasely’s comments he wants to play. He’s fighting for looser restrictions on those who choose not to get the vaccine. He believes the line that was drawn is too hard. 

I think he is actually correct about the restrictions being based on circumstances before we had actual data on the disease ; given our much clearer understanding in transmission and risks , the same protocols as last year no longer make sense.  All the isolation etc seems more like punishment than decisions based on actual knowledge we have after a year dealing with risks etc.   There is tremendous political power behind pushing the vaccines. I am vaccinated ( Pfizer)  but I am much older and not an elite athlete with little risk of serious disease who may not benefit from vaccination, esp if they had covid naturally. I think his extreme positions may be posturing that other players will also push prior to the season.  There is lots of time for moderation of the protocols to occur and like all negotiations you shoot for everything knowing in reality there will be give and take.
 

The NFL will negotiate with proven, high profile players , and if enough of those look like they may sit out and affect the product, the NFL may reconsider its strict policies .  I wouldn’t panick yet, but see how it plays out. The fact is there are preventive alternatives to the vaccines,  but those are not profitable and we are seeing the politics of big money ( billionaires have been made out of vaccine manufacturers, that is factual and not some conspiracy theory) playing out in a billion dollar industry.  As an example , how many of the public are aware of the 230 plus cases of carditis recently  in those under age 30 after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine ? Most likely it is dose related and can be solved by reducing the second shot , but are you hearing about it ,,,,,no, and that’s important for athletes as exercising with carditis is not recommended. We do need data on this situation. My point is I think Beasley ,and probably soon more high profile players may join him as they have issues being FORCED into very limited pathways when there are more solutions that are being ignored, and many Freedom loving people don’t like being dictated too.  I agree it seems simple to just do the vaccine but some people react negatively to having false premises relegate their behavior and many of these players are smart driven guys who are used to making their own decisions. I would just keep an open mind until he and others actually are forced to miss time and we have not reached that point yet.  I think he ( and other players) will eventually moderate that hard line as he probably really does wish to play.
 

The one thing I don’t really support is his statement “:I may die of  covid, but I ‘d rather die actually living “!    Well , Cole , if you are dying , I can assure you , you will not be actually living!  It’s a nonsensical statement that hurts ones intellectual credibility just a little!  It’s the exact type of statement that a young healthy person makes who has never watched someone die as they suffocate in front of them , or ever had a disease that threatened their own health or mortality and covid is not “real”: to them. That’s when if faced with large numbers of players  refusing any REASONABLE protocols, I would have the HR dept set up a day in an ICU seeing actual patients and then these protocols or vaccines may not seem so restrictive.  Honestly tho, I respect Cole and he showed what team meant to him last year playing with a  fractured leg. I think he has earned some time and I think we should not jump all over him as he weighs his future options and negotiating strengths. I also respect any individuals right to refuse a relatively new vaccine. We should not underestimate how much his  talent is harder  to replace than we might think as he was a vital cog in the offense and had Josh’s trust. 

[Bobby Hooks]

40 minutes ago, Beach said:

if your teammates are vaccinated then how are they at risk?

So by that logic only the unvaccinated are at risk. Which seems to be quite a few. 
 

So yeah, maybe the vaccinated players themselves aren’t at risk, but the season is. 
 

If we have an outbreak, and some players have to be hospitalized or quarantined this affects everyone. Vaccinated and non vaccinated. Why even take the risk? So you can prove you don’t have to get the shot? Just seems so silly to me. 

Edited June 19, 2021 by Bobby Hooks

[Pokebball]

17 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Having imperfect answers is not the same thing as having no answers. It was the same discussion we had with the mask mandates. Things were happening too quickly for scientists to know exactly how effective masks would be at preventing the spread of covid. It was and is a quickly evolving public health crisis, they have to use the best information available to them. All the information said that mask mandates prevented the spread of the virus. Ergo statewide mask mandates.

 

Now there is clear information that the vaccines help prevent the spread on an exponentially higher level than anything else we've tried. It's not 100% preventive. Nobody knows the exact percentage and they'll continue studying until we do. But that doesn't mean you throw out the entire measure. We know it works. Public health policies still have to be drafted around what we know.

While I generally agree with this, I can also acknowledge that we don't yet know all of the long-term effects of taking the vaccine, if there even is any.  To a young, healthy, adult the risk of Covid having any serious effect is very low. 

[Buffarukus]

4 hours ago, teef said:

this.  this is exactly what i'm talking about.  

 

people don't like the rules set up during covid, but they were necessary.  why?  because it's obvious that some people just aren't smart enough to take care of themselves.  they need to be watched like children and told what to do.  when they don't get their way, they tantrum.  that's what cole is doing now.  

 

i been a fan of teef for 2 forums now. this is the first time i seen you truley serious other then football talk. granted I'm not on a ton.

 

seeing as there have been gov officials who have "told the idiots" what to do this whole time. many orders of which directly resulted in loved ones death. ( research the nursing home coverup/ murders) ( mask flipflop) ect. ect. i could go on. hindsight has shown that your opinion simply isn't correct in alot of circumstances. doing what you feel is right against public pressure isnt some crime..its personal freedom. in many cases its protected loved ones through this.

 

so imo. its not a good look.

 

unlike many in this thread on Beasley. i disagree with your opinion. but still a fan and wish you to remain gainfully employed. 👍

Edited June 19, 2021 by Buffarukus

[CorkScrewHill]

3 minutes ago, CNYfan said:

There are next day appointments available throughout Upstate NY.  Even same day.   State income tax is a bother, but not 90% - Good Schools for the most part.

I was just joking about NY.. I am from the Rochester area .. from May to October it is one of the nicest places to visit .. summer in the Finger Lakes region is hard to beat. However I was pointing out that access is only an issue if it is allowed to be at least in the US

[Alphadawg7]

Cut him and just trade for Julio Jones, I hear he’s available 😎

[Pokebball]

2 minutes ago, Bobby Hooks said:

So by that logic only the unvaccinated are at risk. Which seems to be quite a few. 
 

So yeah, maybe the vaccinated players themselves aren’t at risk, but the season is. 
 

If we have an outbreak, and some players have to be hospitalized or quarantined this affects everyone. Vaccinated and non vaccinated. Why even take the risk? So you can prove you don’t have to get the shot? Just seems so silly to me. 

The realistic point in this response, to me anyway, is the impact that quarantines could have on the games and season.  The odds of serious illness for this demographic are pretty low and any that might occur will be just a few.

[Teddy KGB]

55 minutes ago, cwater10 said:

Cole is not trusting the process.  That will not end well for him in Buffalo.

let’s downgrade an amazing passing offense over a vaccine 🙄🤮

 

dudes out there playing his ass off w one leg and we have to listen to all this nonsense now.    
 

dgas what he chooses to do with his body 

Edited June 19, 2021 by Teddy KGB

[Mojo44]

9 minutes ago, CorkScrewHill said:

You must be from NY … in uncivilized West Virginia where we surprisingly don’t pay 90% of our income in taxes you can go online at any time and make an appointment for the next day at any pharmacy. 

I’m glad to hear it. My wife is from West Virginia and I think it is a very cool state. But your strawman attack on me because I might be from New York is misguided. West Virginia seems to be doing pretty well at this time based on my research.Access remains an issue in the deep South and in many areas of the Midwest and West. Also, keep in mind that this is probably the biggest public healthcare endeavor this country has ever had to go through. It will take time before a significant majority of the citizens are vaccinated.  
 

 By the way, I love New York!!