Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley was one of a few NFL players who refused to get vaccinated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, as former White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci faced a Senate hearing over his handling of the pandemic, the NFL community on X praised Beasley for standing his ground against getting the vaccine.
On Thursday, a fan on X praised Beasley for being proven right for his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. The former NFL wide receiver reacted to the fan's post with a winking face emoji.
Other fans on X joined in the praise for Beasley:
An account named "Context Capper" praised Beasley's stance and compared his situation to NBA icon Kyrie Irving, who held the same views regarding the vaccine.
"Kyrie could afford to be canceled," he wrote. "That's what clout gets you. If you aren't a superstar in your industry, they will burn you at the stake. Cole was beyond brave, he had everything to lose."
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Bills fan Peter Van Rooy praised Beasley for standing his ground on the vaccination issue. He wrote, "Cole understood. He wasn't a victim of propaganda. Some people took the lesson question everything to heart, and it makes you immune to gaslighting and propaganda. I knew that this was experimental, untested gene therapy. It's nice to see that we were right."
A Bills fan blasted the franchise's fans for booing Beasley during the height of his pushback campaign against the vaccine.
"I blocked many a Bills Mafia member during that time whenever they said anything negative about you. Thank you for speaking up, I missed 2 years of Bills games (season tickets since '88) because I couldn't even cross the border," the Bills fan wrote .
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Garrett Brady thanked Beasley for influencing several fans to reject the vaccination campaign at the height of the pandemic.
"You helped many people hold true to their beliefs. I want to say a big thank you for giving me and many others the courage to stand tall and not give in during this global experiment," Brady posted .
Bruce Tehan praised the former Bills wideout for refusing to get vaccinated and for continuously speaking up against the NFL's initiative by writing, "As much as I admire the way you played the game, I admire you even more for your brave stance against all that COVID tyranny. Thank you."
One account on X lauded Beasley for being willing to go against the grain and speak against the COVID-19 vaccination. The account posted, "For what it's worth, I said this at the time as well. Bease wasn't the only one with a brain, but he was one of the very few who spoke up about it."
In June 2021, Beasley revealed on X that he had not been vaccinated and would not be getting the vaccine. The NFL and the NFLPA collaborated to introduce new COVID-19 protocols for training camp, setting out harsh penalties for players who violated any of the rules.
Beasley was fined several times for violating the rules, reportedly incurring up to $100,000 in accumulated fines. He was also repeatedly booed by Bills fans for refusing to get vaccinated, and he left Buffalo in 2022. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring for the first time in 2022.
He returned to Buffalo for a second stint in 2022 before signing with the New York Giants and requesting his release later that same year.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
