ORCHARD PARK, NY (WKBW) — The NFL has reportedly stepped in following comments made by Bills General Manager Brandon Beane during a segment on "One Bills Live".
The NFL spoke with #Bills GM Brandon Beane this week following his comments regarding releasing an unvaccinated player, per league source. A team may not release a player solely due to vaccination status.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 7, 2021
On Wednesday, in an interview with Steve Tasker and Chris Brown, Beane was asked about theoretically cutting an unvaccinated player if it meant operations returning to normal at the team's facility [no mask mandates, in-person meetings, etc]. This hypothetical situation was under the basis of one unvaccinated player being the difference between two different tiers of restrictions.
Beane answered, "Yea, I would because it'd be an advantage. We're laughing but these meetings [last season] were not as productive as before. Sometimes we'd have three to four meetings going on, and sometimes you're talking over each other but it was the only way to pull it off and be socially distant. It would be an advantage to cut a player and fall under that umbrella."
Again, the situation Beane was asked about was strictly hypothetical as the NFL hasn't released any final decisions regarding the off-season and how things will operate. As of now, players are not required to be vaccinated and an official plan has yet to be released about weekly/daily COVID testing for those who are and aren't vaccinated.
