Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley, a vocal critic of the NFL’s COVID-19 vaccine rules, has tested positive for the virus and will be out 10 days, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.
The result means Beasley, one of the NFL’s top slot receivers, will miss the Bills’ biggest game of the season on Sunday in New England against the Patriots. The Bills (8-6) trail the Patriots (9-5) by one game in the race for top spot in the AFC East.
The Bills added Beasley to the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Beasley started tweeting his thoughts about vaccines in May. He has since deleted his Twitter account.
Beasley did post to his Instagram page on Tuesday, saying he is “feeling fine with mild symptoms.”
Beasley threatened to retire in the off-season after the NFL and NFLPA announced new rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated players.
Beasley continued his crusade against vaccinations and the NFL’s COVID-19 policies as the Bills opened training camp in the summer with an in-person statement to media.
“I’m not anti- or pro-vax. I’m pro choice,” Beasley said in his statement. “With that being said, the issue at hand is information being withheld from players in order for a player to be swayed in a direction he may not be comfortable with. When dealing with a player’s health and safety, there should be complete transparency regarding information that is vital in the decision-making process.”
Shortly after that statement, he released a new rap song in which he says there “ain’t a vaccination” for him.
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