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Alaina GetzenbergESPN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Wide receiver Cole Beasley was added to the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, becoming the fifth player on the active roster and seventh overall on the list.
Beasley tested positive, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Field Yates, and remains unvaccinated. He will at minimum miss the game against the New England Patriots on Sunday and be out for 10 days. In an Instagram post Tuesday evening, Beasley said he was “feeling fine with mild symptoms.”
The game against the Patriots will decide which team takes the lead in the AFC East race with the playoffs just three weeks away.
“Just to be clear COVID is not keeping me out of this game. The rules are,” Beasley wrote Tuesday on Instagram. “Vaxxed players are playing with Covid every week now because they don’t test. One of my vaxxed teammates is in the hospital missing games. I’m sure he didn’t get this same energy. Thank you for those who support. Everyone else, if you don’t get what’s happening then there is nothing anybody can do for you.”
Teammate Jon Feliciano, who also is on the COVID-19 list, posted on Twitter on Tuesday that he “ended up in the ER on Sunday.” He confirmed in a separate post that he’s the teammate “in the hospital” that Beasley referenced in his post.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins, guard Feliciano, defensive end AJ Epenesa and linebacker Tyrel Dodson have been placed on the list in the past week. All four missed the team’s win over the Carolina Panthers, although Epenesa was out due to an ankle injury and placed on the list Monday.
Beasley was previously placed on the COVID-19 list in August after being designated a close contact with a member of the team’s training staff, but tested negative at the time. He was also fined, along with receiver Isaiah McKenzie, for not wearing masks in the facility.
Beasley was outspoken on social media regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, but the slot receiver deleted his Twitter account during the season, calling it a distraction.
“When I first got here, I got away from [social media], and then things happen,” Beasley said in October. “And the issues that we have at hand, and I just felt like I needed to take responsibility for the guys that couldn’t.
“But it’s good for me to get back to where I wanted to be, and it’s not on there. The real world is out here and not there. Most people say things on there that you don’t want to hear. And it’s definitely a weight lifted, and I feel like I did the right thing.”
Beasley referenced not having an issue with others being vaccinated, but instead aimed the response toward those who chose not to. He often got into conversations on Twitter with fans and even teammates, speaking out against the NFL and NFLPA’s protocols.
“I’m not anti- or pro-vax — I’m pro-choice,” Beasley said in July. “With that being said, the issue at hand is information being withheld from players in order for a player to be swayed in a direction he may not be comfortable with.”
Before deleting his account, Beasley offered to buy tickets for fans at away games after vaccinations became required to attend games at Highmark Stadium, and he pointed out fans who were booing him at Bills games.
Receiver Emmanuel Sanders is also currently dealing with a knee sprain that kept him out of last week’s game vs. the Panthers and has left him week-to-week. Despite Beasley’s absence, the Bills’ passing offense still has a plethora of weapons available. McKenzie will likely see increased opportunities in the slot against New England without Beasley on the field.
Stefon Diggs is the top receiver, and Gabriel Davis has emerged as a strong No. 2 option with touchdowns in each of the past three games, in addition to tight end Dawson Knox being one of quarterback Josh Allen‘s top targets in the middle of the field.
Beasley has 76 receptions for 640 yards and one touchdown this year.
Source: www.espn.com