Cowboys Jerry Speaks Out On Vaccinations; Bills Send Beasley Home

"We have got to check 'I' at the door and go forward with 'we.' Your Dallas Cowboys are doing that." - Jerry Jones

FRISCO - Two conflicting views. Both Dallas Cowboys-related, revealed themselves on Tuesday as Cole Beasley, the outspoken anti-vaxxer, has been sent home by the Buffalo Bills, an action mandated by NFL-NFLPA protocols due to his close contact with a member of the team's training staff who tested positive for COVID-19.

Beasley tested negative. But as an unvaccinated player, he will go through a different process than vaccinated employees (including CeeDee Lamb, Dan Quinn and three other Cowboys employees) will. Unvaccinated players are subject to a "re-entry cadence of at least five days,'' per NFL-NFLPA protocol.

On Monday, the Patriots announced quarterback Cam Newton is subject to the same re-entry cadence period.

In the case of defensive coordinator Quinn, receiver Lamb and other vaccinated Cowboys, they must get medical clearance with two negative tests spread over 24 hours before they return to the facility.

Beasley has been outspoken about his resistance to vaccination. But his former boss, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, is now on-record as urging players to vaccinate "for the common good.''

READ MORE: Lamb and Hooker Join Quinn in COVID Protocol

"This is a team game,'' Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "We rely on each other to play. We rely on each other to win. We have to have each other. ... To be part of a team. You check 'I' at the door ...

"Everyone has a right to make their own decisions regarding their health and their body. I believe in that completely - until your decisions ... impact negatively many others. Then, the common good takes over.

"We have got to check 'I' at the door and go forward with 'we.' Your Dallas Cowboys are doing that."

The Cowboys conducted "virtual'' practices on Sunday and Monday but are today back here inside The Star for a more conventional workout as they prepare for Sunday's preseason finale against visiting Jacksonville, and then the season-opener at Tampa Bay.

READ MORE: Dak Ready To 'Turn It Loose,' Says Jerry


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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.