Bills' Beasley and McKenzie are paying a high price for violating Covid-19 protocols
Orchard Park, New York - The NFL has recently laid down the law in regard to its Covid-19 health and safety protocols by making an example out of the league’s most outspoken defiers. It furthered its stance by temporarily dismissing Buffalo Bills team members on Tuesday who were possibly exposed to the virus.
![Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley and his teammate Isaiah McKenzie were both fined for violating NFL Covid-19 rules for personnel who aren't vaccinated.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/v/e/vemx5ew63kmzwle3qkq1amcoo89k0bu5.jpg)
Wide receiver and anti-vaxxer Cole Beasley (30) of the Buffalo Bills is among the first football players this season to have been fined for violating the NFL’s Covid-19 protocol.
He and Bills teammate Isaiah McKenzie were both recently fined for not wearing masks in team facilities, which goes against current league rules for players who aren't vaccinated.
The athlete has not disclosed what amount of money he was fined by the league, but vented his annoyance with the NFL’s rules.
McKenzie however, was more forthcoming with his situation by posting the letter he received from the NFL, along with the hefty penalty he must now pay out – a whopping $14,650.
Like a genuine teammate, Beasley responded to McKenzie’s tweet in solidarity, with his stance still unchanged – as one might guess.
Beasley was also sent home from practice on Tuesday for being considered to have been a close contact of a vaccinated team trainer who recently tested positive. He hasn’t been allowed back since, and has pointed out what he feels are discrepancies over the incident.
Teammates Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler, Gabriel Davis, Matt Milano, and A.J. Klein were also dismissed on Tuesday after being deemed close contacts of the trainer. Milano and Klein have since been cleared as safe to return to practice.
Beasley made a public statement against vaccinating last month, citing his additional problems with vaccinated players being tested for coronavirus less frequently than those who are unvaccinated.
"It's common sense that if a vaxxed or unvaxxed player is tested less frequently, the likelihood of a player being pulled for Covid drops dramatically," he said. He has also argued he is not necessarily "anti- or pro-vax" but "pro-choice."
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told ESPN that his team is approximately 81% inoculated, which ranks them as having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the league.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Icon SMI