The Minnesota Vikings Organization has fired their Offensive Line Coach for refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Rick Dennison, who served as the Vikings Offensive Line Coach and Run game coordinator, has been ousted for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 vaccination rules.
The NFL has a policy for Tier 1 staff such as head coaches, assistant coaches, trainers scouts, equipment managers, and executives. Dennison’s firing comes as a big shock to many Vikings players; it is also a warning to other coaches what the consequence is for defying the NFL’s dictatorial rules.
Rick Dennison wasn’t a bad coach, either; in 2020, he led the Minnesota Vikings to a record-breaking season when their running back Dalvin Cook ran for over 1,500 yards and racked up 15 touchdowns in franchise history. He has a total of 27 years of experience, but only two of the years were with the Vikings.
Dennison wasn’t the only coach that has been let go for refusing to get vaccinated; Patriot’s offensive line coach, Cole Popovich, was also released from his duty as a coach for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Massachusetts, a report by the State Department declared that the state has had over 5,000 breakthrough cases. A breakthrough case is a case where fully vaccinated people test positive for COVID-19.
So for Popovich to be dismissed for refusing to get a vaccine that hasn’t worked for over 5,000 people in his state is totally unfair; yet, at the end of the day it’s not about what’s fair to the NFL, it’s about what makes revenue.
The NFL Rules Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines
As stated earlier, all the coaches for NFL must have the COVID-19 vaccine, but for players, it’s a different story. The NFL has stated that players may not get the vaccine, but if they choose not to they will have to be tested daily on whether or not they have been infected with COVID-19.
Along with getting tested frequently, they also will not be able to eat team meals, take showers, go outside of their hotels, or exercise with their teammates who are vaccinated.
The League has also issued a new rule that stated that any team that has an outbreak of COVID-19 will have to forfeit their game. The new rule is now putting extra pressure on players to get the jab so they won’t be responsible for losing.
NFL Super Star Receiver Pushes Back Against The NFL
Superstar wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, DeAndre Hopkins, is one of the biggest stars to speaks out against the NFL’s COVID-19 guidelines. In his latest tweet, he stated that he was questioning his future in the NFL, due to the NFL’S authoritarian new rules. He then followed that tweet by tweeting “Freedom?”.
Hats off to Hopkins for standing up; maybe a couple more superstars should speak out to put the “woke” NFL in their place. At the end of the day, the players are who generate the revenue; without them, there is no league.
