“I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead.”
“I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead”
Kirk Cousins is the NFL’s most vocal vaccine-hesitant quarterback. While plenty of other QBs (
Lamar Jackson, Carson Wentz and Josh Allen among them) have danced around the vaccine question, Cousins has been clear about his stance: he’s not getting it. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has repeatedly expressed frustration with his team’s relatively low vaccination rate, even bringing in a prominent infectious disease expert to address the team, but Cousins remains unmoved.Former quarterback Josh McCown, who spent 18 years in the NFL and shares an agent with Cousins, believes Cousins is sending the wrong message to his team by not getting vaccinated.
“Obviously, we have a personal choice, and that’s a freedom that he has,” McCown told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “But I think in the realm of a team and understanding everything we do about the science and the safety of it, I would just say it would be hard week in and week out for a quarterback to say, ‘Hey, I’m all for my team, but I’m not going to do this except for this.’ ”
To McCown, Cousins’s vaccine refusal inhibits his ability to be a leader by signalling to his teammates that he’s not doing everything in his power to make sure he’s on the field for every game.
“Obviously, he has a firm belief in his systems of beliefs that are leading him to say, ‘I don’t want to vaccinate,’ and that’s his business,” McCown continued. “But given the effect and the impact that it can have on a team, we don’t share the same beliefs on that aspect. And I just think you want to lead the way and do everything that allows you to be effective for your team, and so if you don’t (get vaccinated), I guess you have to throw the mask on and be vigilant about that. But even then I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead.’’
Outspoken skeptics like Cousins draw a disproportionate amount of attention but it’s important to recognize that the NFL’s overall vaccination numbers are fantastic. The league’s chief medical officer Allen Sills said last week that 93% of players and 99% of staff members have gotten the shot.
Those numbers are what make Cousins’s stubbornness especially frustrating. The overwhelming majority of his colleagues have decided to dramatically reduce their chances of missing games due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Not only are the vaccines scientifically proven to reduce the risk of an infection that would sideline a player, but unvaccinated players are also the only ones who can be forced to miss a game without a positive test (due to close contact with a person who tested positive).
If Cousins avoids getting infected this season despite not getting the vaccine and manages to avoid being designated as a close contact (perhaps by sequestering himself in a plexiglass bubble), great. But to McCown’s point, how will his teammates view him if he’s forced to miss one or more games because he’s refused to make a decision that a majority of the league has agreed is the right one?
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Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
“I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead.”
“I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead”
Kirk Cousins is the NFL’s most vocal vaccine-hesitant quarterback. While plenty of other QBs (Lamar Jackson, Carson Wentz and Josh Allen among them) have danced around the vaccine question, Cousins has been clear about his stance: he’s not getting it. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has repeatedly expressed frustration with his team’s relatively low vaccination rate, even bringing in a prominent infectious disease expert to address the team, but Cousins remains unmoved.
Former quarterback Josh McCown, who spent 18 years in the NFL and shares an agent with Cousins, believes Cousins is sending the wrong message to his team by not getting vaccinated.
“Obviously, we have a personal choice, and that’s a freedom that he has,” McCown told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “But I think in the realm of a team and understanding everything we do about the science and the safety of it, I would just say it would be hard week in and week out for a quarterback to say, ‘Hey, I’m all for my team, but I’m not going to do this except for this.’ ”
To McCown, Cousins’s vaccine refusal inhibits his ability to be a leader by signalling to his teammates that he’s not doing everything in his power to make sure he’s on the field for every game.
“Obviously, he has a firm belief in his systems of beliefs that are leading him to say, ‘I don’t want to vaccinate,’ and that’s his business,” McCown continued. “But given the effect and the impact that it can have on a team, we don’t share the same beliefs on that aspect. And I just think you want to lead the way and do everything that allows you to be effective for your team, and so if you don’t (get vaccinated), I guess you have to throw the mask on and be vigilant about that. But even then I think that takes away from some of your ability to lead.’’
Outspoken skeptics like Cousins draw a disproportionate amount of attention but it’s important to recognize that the NFL’s overall vaccination numbers are fantastic. The league’s chief medical officer Allen Sills said last week that 93% of players and 99% of staff members have gotten the shot.
Those numbers are what make Cousins’s stubbornness especially frustrating. The overwhelming majority of his colleagues have decided to dramatically reduce their chances of missing games due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Not only are the vaccines scientifically proven to reduce the risk of an infection that would sideline a player, but unvaccinated players are also the only ones who can be forced to miss a game without a positive test (due to close contact with a person who tested positive).
If Cousins avoids getting infected this season despite not getting the vaccine and manages to avoid being designated as a close contact (perhaps by sequestering himself in a plexiglass bubble), great. But to McCown’s point, how will his teammates view him if he’s forced to miss one or more games because he’s refused to make a decision that a majority of the league has agreed is the right one?
The best of SI
Conor Orr explains why it made no sense for the Patriots to hang onto Cam Newton with Mac Jones starting. ... College football parity is dead. Is there any way to fix it? ... Bill Belichick may have outsmarted everyone again with his Mac Jones pick. ... This summer’s European soccer transfer window was more hectic than ever.
Around the sports world
Bishop Sycamore coach Roy Johnson has been fired, the school’s athletic director said. ... South Carolina has named Zeb Noland, who was originally hired as a graduate assistant, has been named the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback for their season opener. ... The PGA Tour will ban fans who yell “Brooksie” at Bryson DeChambeau. ... The NFL is investigating after Urban Meyer said players’ vaccination status was considered during roster cuts.
Blayre Turnbull got hurt in the dog pile after Canada’s overtime win in the World Championships against the U.S. but was all smiles on the stretcher
Mets announcer Gary Cohen had a smart take on this week’s controversy
The Mets earned this
The Mets won, though, and Cohen had a great call as Báez scored the winning run
I’m running out of ways to say how amazed I am by this guy
Imagine if an NFL player did this
It is a great bag
The IMG Academy football team is loving the Bishop Sycamore business
Well said, Dabo
Not sports
Kanye West reportedly tried to move his actual childhood home into Soldier Field for his event there. ... Norway will fine people who pee across its border with Russia. ... Armed robbers trying to steal a Monet painting from a Dutch museum dropped it while fleeing the scene.
Time to clock out for the day after this
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
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