As more businesses implore their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, there’s been more public pushback. NFL players like Josh Allen and Cole Beasley have already made their anti-vaccine stances public. Beasley went as far as to go on a Twitter rant claiming, “If you get vaccinated you are good? So if I don’t I shouldn’t pass it on to you regardless, right?” Reading that probably made your head hurt as much as it did mine, but wait, it actually gets worse. Today, the Washington Football Team’s Montez Sweat made a head-scratching quote regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
DE Montez Sweat on the team bringing in vaccine experts to speak to players: “I’m not a fan of it at all. … I won’t get vaccinated until I get more facts.”
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) June 9, 2021
On why he’s hesitant: “I haven’t caught covid yet, so I don’t see me treating covid until I actually get covid.
Normally, reading the full exchange would help bring some clarity to an otherwise puzzling quote. But in this case, it only made it worse.
I’m a firm believer that athletes should have the freedom to voice whatever opinions they want. But that doesn’t mean that they should be exempt from criticism when they say something that makes zero sense. Montez Sweat’s logic is so contradictory and juvenile it’s genuinely concerning.
When I ride my bike I don’t wear a helmet, but if I eventually get hit by a car, then I will put on my helmet afterwards https://t.co/Zl8SuDT0zs
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) June 9, 2021
See what I mean? Same logic, but regarding a different topic.
Either way, it’s time for athletes to stop claiming that not getting vaccinated is a personal decision.
It’s Not Personal, It’s Irresponsible
When your “personal decision” could potentially impact those around you, it’s no longer personal. It is, by definition, selfish. COVID-19 has taken part in claiming the lives of nearly 3.8 million people. Many of those who “recovered” will never be the same due to the damage that COVID-19 inflicted upon them. Those in this boat are being labeled as “long-haulers.”
Long-Haulers are dealing with any of the following side-effects.
- Breathing Issues
- Heart Problems
- Kidney Damage
- Neurological Problems
- Lost/Distorted Smell and Taste
- Mental Health Issues
- Autonomic Nervous System Symptoms
Why anyone, let alone a professional athlete, would be more afraid to get the vaccine than actually getting COVID-19 is beyond me. A London woman died of COVID-19 after being spat on by a random man who claimed to have it. If just one player/staff member somehow gets infected with the virus, they’re putting the rest of the team at risk. It is not a “personal decision”, it’s selfish and irresponsible.
But Back to Sweat
Montez Sweat claimed, “I won’t get vaccinated until I get more facts,” but is upset that his team is bringing in “vaccine experts.”
Maybe he didn’t mean what came out of his mouth, but it doesn’t change the fact that he royally contradicted himself. If Montez Sweat genuinely wanted to learn more about the vaccine, he should relish the opportunity to learn from experts. After all, who knows more about a product than experts in said field?
At the end of the day, if an athlete doesn’t want to get vaccinated, it’s their choice to make. It’s a self-serving choice, but a choice they have the right to make nonetheless.
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