NFL's New Vaccine Policy Leads to a Truly Wild Day on Twitter: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Fans, player have wide-ranging reaction to NFL's new Covid-19 vaccine policy.

1. Apologies in advance, but I need to kick things off today by stroking my own ego.

Three weeks ago, on the SI Media Podcast, I said that when training camps opened, the biggest story in the NFL would be about the number of players who wouldn’t get vaccinated.

Cut to Thursday and all hell broke loose when the NFL announced severe consequences for teams that have a COVID-19 outbreak involving unvaccinated players.

This story is only going to get bigger and bigger as the season approaches and more big-name players reveal they refuse to get the vaccine.

NFL players were all over the map after the announcement. Some expressed their desire for teammates to get vaccinated:

Sooo the top scientists in the entire world got together to figure out how to combat Covid-19. And when they came up with a vaccine, you question them. They are trying to save lives and you have doubt😳😳

— Jerry hughes Jr (@Iam_jerryhughes) July 23, 2021

Some channeled their inner QAnon with Bills offensive lineman Jonathan Feliciano tweeting and then deleting [sic]: “It’s been proven that COVID was made in lab. Fauci also a part of Pfizer. that’s why ppl don’t want to get the vaccine. Sad to come to the realization that you can not trust the government. #dontshootthemessenger”

In quite a plot twist, though, Feliciano says he’s vaccinated.

Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins threatened to retire rather than getting the vaccine and then quickly proclaimed he would play for nine more years.

The most famous NFL anti-vaxxer, Bills receiver Cole Beasley, tweeted about living freely, which, of course, we all do whether we’re vaccinated or not.

Many fans, meanwhile, focused on a certain angle of this NFL vaccination controversy.

And despite the seriousness of this topic, there were still many tweets that generated some laughs.

2. The tale of Freddie Freeman's son, Charlie, and Padres superstar, Fernando Tatis Jr., is easily one of the highlights of the 2021 MLB season.

The four-year-old is all about Tatis, despite his dad playing for the Braves.

Charlie's mission all season was to meet Tatis, which finally happened at the All-Star Game last week.

This video chronicles Charlie's relationship with Tatis and it is fantastic.

3. Before the Buccaneers got their Super Bowl rings Thursday night, the team's Instagram account posted a super intense video about the speech Tom Brady gave the team before Super Bowl LV.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@buccaneers)

4. This is the absolute best tweet you will see about the Cleveland Guardians' new logo.

5. Even though I have covered wrestling on SI.com since starting Hot Clicks in 2007, I still get dopes who ask me why I write about it. Here's why.

6. This week's SI Media Podcast dropped Thursday morning, and it features an interview with Lindsay Czarniak. The veteran sportscaster talks about her daily Olympics show on Peacock, On Her Turf, shares her thoughts on women trying to break through in sports media and discusses the Maria Taylor–Rachel Nichols controversy.

This episode kicks off with the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. We talked about the forthcoming Peyton-Eli Monday Night Football broadcast, Tom Brady’s White House visit, Ted Lasso and the worst songs of all time.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: With Daniel Bryan reportedly done with WWE and signing with AEW, let's remember one of the great moments in Monday Night Raw history from 2013.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.