Whitlock: I’d love to know what Tom Brady thinks of NFL COVID protocols



An experimental medical procedure is being forced upon some of the healthiest people on the planet, and America's corporate media are reluctant to talk honestly about the chaotic ramifications.

COVID chaos is sweeping the sports world. COVID chaos' impact on sports dwarfs Colin Kaepernick's knee and Megan Rapinoe's self-aggrandizement. COVID chaos will likely define this NFL season.

COVID chaos is the most underreported story in sports.

Oh, sure, corporate media reports the headlines: Jaguars coach Urban Meyer admitted the obvious — vaccination status played a role in roster decisions.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick claimed Cam Newton's[C1] vax status played no role in the quarterback's departure.

Baseball executive Bob Boone refused to comply with the Washington Nationals' vaccine mandate and resigned.

UFC broadcaster and popular podcaster Joe Rogan contracted COVID and announced he'd taken ivermectin and other drugs to slay the virus.

Unvaccinated Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins spent time in the protocol.

Corporate media are feeding us a steady diet of headlines, news stories with little depth, and a consistent narrative that un-vaxxed athletes (and people) are selfish, irresponsible Trump supporters.

Like everything else in this country, COVID chaos is an outgrowth of our political polarization, corporate media's partnership with the Democratic Party, and the media's pervasive fear of being on the wrong side of Big Tech censorship.

There's one approved opinion on COVID. That opinion is that experimental vaccines are the only responsible way to combat the virus.

You'll never convince me Tom Brady believes that. Never.

Remember back in early August, when Brady blasted the NFL Players Association over social media? He claimed he was upset about the reduction in the salary cap. He stated: "NFL players better wake up @NFLPA. NFL players are IGNORANT. The salary cap dropped by 20%, and the new media deals were announced AFTER 2021 salary cap was set."

The most important football player of all time nuked the players' union. The story came and went without a great deal of conversation. Brady has never been a professional athlete chasing every dime. I'm sure he cares about money, but he has much stronger passions than the pursuit of wealth.

One of those passions is health. He's a health nut. He's meticulous about what he puts into his body. In 2013, he started a performance and nutrition company, TB12.

At the same time Brady ripped the NFLPA, veteran NFL players reached out to me complaining about the COVID protocols the NFLPA agreed to with the NFL. The players believe DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the union, agreed to the protocols without properly informing members of the union. The players, even the ones who have taken the vaccine, are irate. They feel betrayed by their union and voiceless. They say they've reached out to traditional NFL journalists and have been told their story and concerns are untouchable.

One player told me Brady criticized the union over the salary cap as a way of complaining about the COVID protocols DeMaurice Smith shoved past the players. I don't know Brady's vaccination status. I couldn't find a specific story on the topic. That seems odd given his stature and reputation regarding health. No one is asking the Benjamin Button of professional sports about the vaccine? Interesting.

Another player alleged he is aware of several NFL players who obtained fake vaccination cards during the off-season and provided them as proof of vaccination to their teams. I'm not mentioning that to suggest that's what Brady did. I'm saying it because I could see how and why many NFL players would.

Young people naturally feel invincible. Consider the physical conditioning of a typical professional athlete and then ask yourself how many football, basketball, baseball, and hockey players believe they need to take an experimental vaccine for a virus that kills less than 1 percent of its victims.

COVID chaos is the most divisive thing ever to hit professional sports. The people in least need of the vaccine are being forced to take it. Teams are operating separating dining rooms and separate rules for the vaxxed and the unvaxxed.

If an NFL team is forced to forfeit a game and paychecks over positive tests, don't be surprised when the players rise up and overthrow DeMaurice Smith, the worst union head in the history of professional sports.

Let's hope it happens to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady is the perfect person to lead the revolution.

[C1]

QB Aaron Rodgers defends unvaccinated NFL teammates: ‘It’s a personal decision’



NFL star quarterback Aaron Rodgers has defended his unvaccinated teammates and fellow NFL stars who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that their choices are as personal as anything else.

What are the details?

In remarks to the media this week, Rodgers expressed support for his teammates' decisions on vaccinations.

"Yeah, I've been immunized," he said Thursday following a Green Bay Packers practice.

Rodgers added that he believes COVID-19 in the NFL is an "interesting issue" due to the polarity surrounding the stances for or against the vaccine.

"There's guys that have been vaccinated that have contracted COVID, so it's an interesting issue that I think we're going to see played out the entire season," Rodgers said.

He added, "There's a lot of conversation around it, around the league, and a lot of guys who have made statements and not made statements, owners who have made statements. There's guys on the team that haven't been vaccinated. I think it's a personal decision. I'm not going to judge those guys."

According to a Wednesday report from the Washington Post, more than 91% of NFL have received at least one shot of a two-dose vaccine.

A report from Wisconsin Public Radio stated that players including Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley have both been outspoken about not receiving vaccines, which has caused a rift in some teams. And Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has reportedly had COVID-19 at least twice over the past year, but he remained reluctant about getting the shot as of early August.

What did the Cowboys owner say?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a Tuesday interview that he also believes people have a right to "make their own decision regarding their health and their body," pointing to the COVID-19 shot, but that eventually, the greater good needs to trump any and all personal reservations in order to be a theoretical brother's keeper.

"I believe in that completely until your decision as to yourself impacts negatively many others," he added. "Then the common good takes over. And I'm arm-waving here. But that has everything to do with the way that I look at our team, the Cowboys, or the way I look at our society. We have got to check 'I' at the door and go forward with 'we.' Your Dallas Cowboys are doing that."

The NFL unveiled its new COVID-19 protocols for training camp and the preseason in June, which puts heavy restrictions on what unvaccinated football players are allowed to do.

The NFL regular season begins on Sept. 12 with the Green Bay Packers at the New Orleans Saints.

Bills' Cole Beasley, unvaccinated, forced to quarantine after testing negative for COVID —  because he came in contact with fully vaccinated trainer who had the virus



Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley, an outspoken opponent of the NFL's aggressive pro-vaccine rules, has entered the league's COVID protocol after coming in close contact with a team trainer who tested positive for the virus.

Beasley has since tested negative for the virus. The trainer who tested positive was fully vaccinated.

What are the details?

The news, which broke Tuesday, ignited a flurry of criticism for Beasley who this summer made headlines for his forceful opposition to the league's stringent COVID-19 rules which teeter near the edge of being a full-blown vaccine mandate.

"Actions have consequences," Deadspin writer Donovan Dooley wrote. "Beasley made his bed now he has to lay in it for five days." He referred to the star wideout as "Buffalo's anti-vax idiot."

But the development, far from proving Beasley's imprudence, may serve to highlight just how nonsensical are the league's COVID-19 protocols.

Beasley, along with three other teammates — including fellow wide receiver Gabriel Davis and defensive tackles Star Lotoulilei and Vernon Butler — were sent home Tuesday due to their close-contact designations.

All four players tested negative for the virus Tuesday but nevertheless were forced to enter the five-day re-entry process as mandated by the NFL. League protocols require unvaccinated players who come in contact with an infected person to quarantine for five days with daily testing.

More details: The Bills' trainer who tested positive was fully vaccinated. Beasley was in close contact with him ye… https://t.co/0DrO4ZIHLY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) 1629816002.0

Two other teammates, linebackers Matt Milano and A.J. Klein, were also reportedly sent home Tuesday out of precaution. But after an investigation, their designations as close contacts were reversed.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said, "This is our new normal. It's not the normal we like. But it's the world we're in."

"We're not exempt from any of this, as we've said many times. We're going to try to keep our building as safe as we can. Everyone understands the protocols and the rules," he added.

Why does it matter?

The story has gained significant traction due to Beasley's public opposition to the league's vaccine push.

In Beasley's case, he's catching flack because he's unvaccinated. But it's ironic that his forced quarantine is not the result of his infection; rather, it is the result of a vaccinated individual's infection — though it should be noted that Beasley could soon test positive for the virus, depending on the incubation period.

In essence, the NFL's new guidelines divide players into two groups. But instead of the two groups being COVID-positive and COVID-negative like one might expect, the groups are vaccinated and unvaccinated.

At times, it's unclear whether the rules are there to protect the health of players and staff or whether they are intended as a mechanism to punish the unvaccinated.

Las Vegas Raiders mandate vaccines for home games, offer to jab fans in the parking lot before games — then they can enter with masks



The Las Vegas Raiders announced this week that fans will be required to provide proof of vaccination on their cellphones in order to attend home games, becoming the first team in the National Football League to implement such a mandate.

Furthermore, in one of the stranger addendums to a vaccine mandate policy yet, the organization offered to give unvaccinated fans a jab in the parking lot on their way in. Those fans then would be permitted entry but would need to wear a mask during the event.

In a news release issued Monday, the team said that fans will be required to display their vaccination using "CLEAR's free mobile app and Health Pass feature." The policy will go into effect ahead of the team's regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 13.

Further details regarding the mobile app program and the on-site vaccination initiative were scheduled to be outlined during a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.

NEW: NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders will require attendees to provide proof of vaccination on their phone to enter the sta… https://t.co/VhvQN6ngRc

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1629171678.0

The new rule was implemented in response to a state directive regarding large events issued by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. On Monday, Sisolak announced a health advisory change for large event organizers that allows them to host a mask-free event so long as everyone in attendance is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"Health and safety has always been our number one priority," Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. "After consultation with Governor Sisolak and other community leaders, this policy ensures that we will be able to operate at full capacity without masks for fully vaccinated fans for the entire season."

In May, the Raiders announced a policy requiring all full-time staff in both the football and business operations to be fully vaccinated against the virus. Shortly after, Allegiant Stadium's management company, ASM, implemented a vaccine mandate for full-time staff, as well.

It remains to be seen if more NFL teams will follow in the Raiders' footsteps as the season approaches. Last year during the pandemic, fans were largely barred from attending games until later in the season when certain teams opened up stadiums with extremely limited capacity.

Vaccines have been a controversial subject since the start of training camp when the league announced stringent health protocols intended to make life more miserable for unvaccinated players as part of an effort to encourage vaccinations.

In response, several players — including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Buffalo Bills slot receiver Cole Beasley — expressed outrage at the rules.