Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Bills WR Cole Beasley slams NFLPA over COVID-19 protocols

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/18/21

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the COVID-19 protocols agreed to by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

Beasley called the NFLPA a "joke" in his lengthy tirade on Twitter.

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

Public Service Announcement pic.twitter.com/XjQicdvnKm
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) June 18, 2021

The NFL and the NFLPA announced Wednesday that they lifted restrictions for fully vaccinated players while continuing strict protocols for those who aren't vaccinated.

Players who aren't vaccinated must undergo daily testing, practice social distancing and wear masks. They also aren't allowed to leave the team hotel on road trips. Players who are vaccinated won't be subject to the same protocols.

The NFL and NFLPA have encouraged players to get vaccinated, and maybe the hope with the new protocols is that more will opt to receive the vaccine. Still, some players are skeptical. Several teams are approaching 75% or better vaccination rates while others aren't even close.

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