When asked about a briefing given to his team by leading epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, Kirk Cousins didn’t give any indication that he’s changed his views on COVID vaccines.
The Vikings quarterback was forced to quarantine for five days earlier this month because he was a close contact with Kellen Mond, who tested positive for the virus. If he had been vaccinated, he wouldn’t have been required to quarantine, per NFL rules.
When he returned, Cousins said that the decision on whether to get the vaccine or not was a private matter, and postulated the potential of using a plexiglass booth to protect himself from the virus in the locker room. Again, signaling that he has not received the shot.
With the Vikings heading into the 2021 season with some prominent players apparently not having been vaccinated – Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith among them – the Vikings brought in the University of Minnesota’s Osterholm this week in an effort to inform them about COVID and the vaccines, knowing that unvaccinated players who get exposed to COVID during the season could miss games.
When asked about the briefing at a Wednesday press conference, Cousins’ response was hardly a resounding signal that he’s changed his mind.
“It was a great meeting. It was informative. And it was what it was.”
The choice among some players not to get vaccinated has sparked the ire of Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who earlier this month said: “There’s quite a few guys that are just against it. I’m not going to be able to change their mind. Just like half the country, I guess,” Zimmer said.
“These guys, some of them just won’t do it. I shouldn’t say it, but some of the things they’ve read are just, woof, out there. It’s their belief, so whatever they’ve heard or read or been told, or maybe they don’t believe what Dr. [Allen] Sills and the NFL is telling them. I don’t know.”
