NFL Wins Superbowl Of Vaccine Tyranny

In a memo issued to teams Thursday, the NFL said if a game is unable to be rescheduled during the 18-week regular-season window due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players, the team experiencing the outbreak will be forced to forfeit the game.

That team also would be responsible for covering lost revenue from that game.

Meanwhile, neither team’s players would receive their weekly game checks.

The news did not sit well with some NFL players, including the Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins tweeted, then deleted the following post on Thursday:

“Never thought I would say this, But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl”

The Cardinals wide receiver followed his tweet with a “Freedom?” tweet.

NFL training camps are set to being next week and the NFL is trying to coax players into receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.

“We do not anticipate adding a ‘19th week’ to accommodate games that cannot be rescheduled within the current 18 weeks of the regular season,” the league said in its memo.

It added: “If a club cannot play due to a Covid spike in vaccinated individuals, we will attempt to minimize the competitive and economic burden on both participating teams,” the memo said.

Earlier this month the Associated Press reported that the Cardinals were one of four NFL teams with under 50% of its players vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus.

During a video conference call with Arizona reporters last month, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked if he knew how many Arizona players and coaches had been vaccinated for the virus. He said he didn’t know the numbers, but offered this response:

“They have been overly-educated, if that is possible, on the vaccine. (Head athletic trainer) Tom Reed and our medical staff has done a tremendous job of making sure these guys feel confident and comfortable if they were to receive the vaccine.”

The memo said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also has the right to impose further sanctions against any team that prompts a cancellation due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players.

As of Thursday, 78% of players league-wide had received at least one vaccine, a league spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports. Fourteen teams have at least 85% of their players fully vaccinated.

Hopkins had more to say on Twitter, tweeting “they love you one minute then hate you the next! Know thyself” in response to a tweet from Gary Sheffield Jr. supporting Hopkins.

The receiver also replied to a tweet from Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, writing “My girlfriend brother in the military got the vaccine and had heart problems right after. When you stand for something they hate you!”

As for his NFL future, Hopkins later tweeted: “Btw I got about 9 more years in me, y’all have a good day.”