Cole Beasley: Selfishness Raised To An Art Form

"I'm going to live my one life like I want to regardless...."

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV

Cole Beasley is what’s known in the NFL as a “possession receiver.” That’s code for a short, fast (usually White) guy with good hands that a quarterback can count on to make important catches in crucial situations. Beasley, at 5’8” and 175 pounds, has somehow managed to survive in the land of the NFL’s giants without having his head separated from his body. That’s commendable and something of a minor miracle given that he’s been doing it for ten years. For such wizardry and derring-do, he’s paid in the neighborhood of $6 million a year.

Nice work if you can get it, eh??

Most professional athletes understand how fortunate they are to play a children’s game for obscene sums of money. Most recognize that it’s incumbent upon them to set an example and promote the public good whenever possible. With most professional athletes, that’s exactly what happens.

Unfortunately, Beasley has decided that it’s not his responsibility to set an example when it comes to public health. He’s refused to get vaccinated, and he’s proud of his decision. Even worse, he really doesn’t much care what anyone thinks about it. That he might unknowingly be responsible for the infection and/or death of another seems to be of no concern to him.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley released a statement on Twitter on Friday in response to the sharp backlash he has received on social media, disclosing that he is not vaccinated and pledging to "live my one life like I want to regardless."

"I will be outside doing what I do," he wrote. "I'll be out in public. If your (sic) scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated ... I may die of covid, but I'd rather die actually living.

"I'm not going to take meds for a leg that isn't broken. I'd rather take my chances with Covid and build up my immunity that way ...I'll play for free this year to live life how I've lived it from day one. If I'm forced into retirement, so be it."

Beasley’s argument is a swing and miss on several levels. First, refusing to be vaccinated has nothing to do with living his life on his terms. The vaccine is not about denying him anything. It’s about doing his part to protect others, even if he isn’t concerned about himself.

Beasley’s cavalier attitude about COVID-19 betrays a lack of concern about the well-being of others. It’s not about those who are vaccinated or even those who’ve yet to get their shots. It’s about those who, for medical reasons, CAN’T get vaccinated and thus are at significant risk. While he’s out living his life, he may well be imperiling those who wish to be vaccinated but can’t be.

His argument that “a lot of other NFL players” agree with his position is as lame as it is impossible to substantiate. While he may think his Trumpian “many people say….” stance is a perfectly valid position, it’s a lazy argument made by someone trying to justify his lack of compassion and concern for others.

The NFL's new protocols allow vaccinated players to return to near normalcy; however, unvaccinated players face a whole slew of restrictions, some having a monetary impact. They will be required to be tested for COVID-19 daily and have to wear masks throughout the team facility and during travel. Furthermore, they will be subjected to weight room capacity limits and cannot leave the team hotel to eat in restaurants or interact with individuals outside of the team traveling party during team travel.

Additionally, unvaccinated players may not use the sauna/steam room and will have to quarantine after high-risk exposure to COVID-19 while those who are vaccinated will not. 

Per the guidelines, no social/media/marketing/sponsorship activities are permitted for unvaccinated individuals. 

Considering the number of people an NFL player comes into contact with daily, the potential for unknowingly infecting others is astonishing. In this case, it’s not, as Beasley might believe, about curtailing his rights as a free man. It’s about being a responsible, caring, and compassionate human being. It’s about realizing that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over. It’s about recognizing that refusing the vaccine places himself and those around him at greater risk.

Like it or not, Beasley does have a responsibility to something bigger than himself, as each of us does. In his case, as an NFL player, no one’s expecting him to live a morally pristine life…though there’s nothing wrong with that. There is, and should be, an implied expectation to set an example by helping to protect public health in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

A means of protecting the public from COVID-19 has been identified. It’s simple and involves no great sacrifice. All one has to do is to get two shots- or one in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The vaccines don’t alter your DNA. They don’t magnetize you. They don’t contain RFID tags or microchips. All they do is protect you and those around you from COVID-19.

In the case of vaccines, their efficacy increases once “herd immunity” is achieved. Depending on the numbers you accept, that usually means 80-85% of a population being inoculated. This means that each of us is responsible for getting vaccinated so that all of us may be protected from the virus.

Cole Beasley is free to be the individual he wishes to be. No one’s trying to force him into a box. That said, he knows better than most that playing in the National Football League is a privilege and that players who are 5’8” and 175 pounds usually have a short shelf life. If he were a banker or a barista, his decision to refuse the vaccine would have far less impact. As an NFL player, selfishness shouldn’t be an option- it could have a significant and deleterious impact on many people’s health.

There will be plenty of time for Beasley to become a card-carrying member of the cult of selfishness once he’s out of the NFL. For now, he should understand that he has a responsibility to far more than his own self-interest. If he finds that unacceptable, then perhaps it’s time for him to move on and find another line of work.