Tag: kirk cousins covid

Michigan hospital ends relationship with Kirk Cousins after anti-vaccination remarks

Michigan’s Holland Hospital has ended its relationship with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins after Cousins’ anti-vaccination remarks.

It isn’t just Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer who’s frustrated by quarterback Kirk Cousins’ comments regarding COVID vaccinations. On Friday, Michigan’s Holland Hospital, which had a sponsorship relationship with Cousins, ended that relationship after Cousins’ Thursday remarks.

“I think the vaccination decision is a private. very private health matter for me,” Cousins said, on the same day he was placed back on the active roster from the Reserve/COVID list after close contact with backup quarterback Kellen Mond, who had tested positive. “I’m going to keep it as such. I do believe as a leader of the team, it’s very important to follow the protocols and avoid this close contact, because that is what it’s going to come down to — did you have a close contact? So, I’m going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact. I’ve even thought about, ‘Should I just set up, literally, Plexiglas around where I sit, so this could never happen again?’ I’ve thought about it, because I’m going to do whatever it takes. We’re going to avoid this close contact thing, and look forward to make sure I’m playing every game this year.”

This 11 months after Cousins’ famous (or perhaps infamous) “If I die, I die” remarks regarding vaccinations.

“While we acknowledge that each person is entitled to their own viewpoints, those who speak on our behalf must support messages that align with the hospital’s position on matters of vital importance to individual and community health,” the hospital’s statement on the matter read. “For this reason, Holland Hospital will discontinue using Kirk Cousins as our spokesperson for now. We are proud of our association with Kirk. He embodies many values we respect and share as part of our work culture. However, we must be certain that our communications about COVID vaccination are consistent and unequivocal.

“Evidence also indicates that vaccinated individuals may be less likely to carry and transmit the virus to others including children, family members and friends,” the statement said. “For these reasons, Holland Hospital has and will continue to strongly recommend the COVID vaccine to those who are eligible to receive it.”

At a time when hospitals are running out of beds in their intensive care units because they’re caring for a disproportionate number of people who refuse to be vaccinated, there’s this video of Cousins, certain that Holland Hospital will take care of Cousins and his family if they’re overcome by COVID.

If Cousins is going to be the type of person who’s fine with putting an unnecessary burden on a hospital (not to mention a potentially catastrophic burden on his own family), it’s entirely appropriate for Holland Hospital to cut ties in this case. Sadly, Holland Hospital (and just about every other hospital in America right now) has more than enough to deal with right now.

Kirk Cousins is doubling down on his anti-vax ridiculousness

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has made it clear — his “rights” are more important than doing everything possible to fight COVID.

pri·ma don·na (noun): a very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance

The Minnesota Vikings come into the 2021 NFL season with the league’s lowest vaccination rate, a fact that has raised concerns from both head coach Mike Zimmer and co-owner Mark Wilf. Recently, rookie quarterback Kellen Mond landed on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID list with a positive test, and quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley were placed on the list as close contacts.

This has not changed Cousins’ position on vaccinations, which tend to be unique, unless you’re in the middle of a red state. You may remember that last September, Cousins said this about COVID in general:

“I want to respect what other people’s concerns are. For me personally, just talking no one else can get the virus, what is your concern if you could get it, I would say I’m gonna go about my daily life. If I get it, I’m gonna ride it out. I’m gonna let nature do its course. Survival-of-the-fittest kind of approach. And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I’m going to be OK. You know, even if I die. If I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that.”

Which is an… interesting conceit, given what we know almost a year later.

On Thursday, both Cousins and Stanley were activated from the Reserve/COVID list, and after practice, Cousins was asked his position on vaccinations:

“I think the vaccination decision is a private. very private health matter for me. I’m going to keep it as such. I do believe as a leader of the team, it’s very important to follow the protocols and avoid this close contact, because that is what it’s going to come down to — did you have a close contact? So, I’m going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact. I’ve even thought about, ‘Should I just set up, literally, Plexiglas around where I sit, so this could never happen again?’ I’ve thought about it, because I’m going to do whatever it takes. We’re going to avoid this close contact thing, and look forward to make sure I’m playing every game this year.”

Cousins said that he wants to follow the protocols so that he can play every week, and that as long as he doesn’t test positive, and he doesn’t have a close contact, it’ll all work out. He fell a bit short of his “I’m going to do whatever it takes” promise when asked about getting vaccinated.

“The NFL encourages us to get vaccinated, and as I said, it’s just a very private health decision. I’m going to keep it private as such.”

When asked how he weighed his rights versus his potential effect on the team, and how he can believe that simply keeping his distance will prevent more issues at a time when COVID is spreading among the unvaccinated, Cousins was steadfast.

“We can agree to disagree with that. I’m going to be very vigilant with the protocols.”

When asked whether missing four practices affected his decision? Well…

“I’m taking into account everything that’s happening, and very much doing my research. Trying to understand why I missed [time], and trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

What that research is, we have no idea, though we’re guessing liberal doses of FOX News and NewsMax are probably involved. We know that Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, has not been consulted.

Perhaps this is at the root of what Zimmer said Monday.

“These guys, some of them just won’t do it. I shouldn’t say it, but some of the things they read is just, whew, out there.”

“Out there” is a pretty fair way to put it when your starting quarterback would apparently rather create a “Boy In the Bubble” scenario in the quarterback room. Seems a bit… er… “privileged” to me, in that Cousins would not get away with this were he not the Vikings’ starting quarterback, but this is where we are.

America’s fight to get past COVID and return to any level of normalcy has been affected to a disturbing degree by a certain percentage of people who insist more on their rights to be super-spreaders than their responsibility to themselves and those around them, and that’s just something we’re all going to have to live with — if we can. This brings up all kinds of questions about responsibility to one’s self and one’s teammates, but in Cousins’ case, it seems that if he’s in any kind of COVID box, it’s the fault of those around him, and if he wants to build a wall (gee, where have we heard THAT before), he’s not going to be moved from that position.

Whether he would be moved with a positive test that would keep him away from the game he loves, and would prevent him from helping his teammates and coaches as much as possible, we do not know. But we suspect a particular answer that would simply kick the problem forward.

Which helps nobody — least of all, Cousins himself.