Bills Lineman on COVID-19 Fight: ‘I Don’t Know if I’m Going to Make [It]’

Dion-Dawkins1

Getty Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins during a game against the Los Angeles Rams in September 2020.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins is one of more than 37 million Americans who have contracted COVID-19, and on Tuesday afternoon, he shared his story.

Dawkins met with the Bills media and for more than 15 minutes, discussed his harrowing experience of living with the virus, plus his recovery and thoughts on the vaccine. The 2017 second-round draft pick went on the COVID-19 reserve list in late July and was activated last Thursday.

ALL the latest Bills news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bills newsletter here!

Join Heavy on Bills!

Dawkins noted that prior to getting the virus, he received his first and second dose, but he was still within the two-week window following the second shot where a person is considered fully vaccinated.

“The message I would say is ‘Do what you’re most comfortable with, but I’m glad that I had the vaccine when I had COVID. … If I was fully [vaccinated], I think that it would’ve been a little bit easier on myself,” he said, adding that he decided to get the vaccine because his six-month old son was born premature and he wanted to protect his family.

Dawkins added that the impact that the virus had on his body was eye-opening.

“Honestly, it was one of the lowest points that I have ever been,” he said. “It hit every part of me. … Honestly, if there’s a checklist for [symptoms], it was everything. It was shortness of breath, it was the hot and cold, it was the cough, it was everything. … I don’t want to scare anybody, but there were moments where I was like ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make [it].'”


Dawkins on Beasley: ‘That’s My Brother and We’re All Here Together’

Dion-Dawkins-Cole-Beasley

GettyDion Dawkins and Cole Beasley of the Buffalo Bills celebrate a touchdown during a game in 2019.

Dawkins also addressed his relationship with Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley, who is perhaps the most outspoken player in the NFL when it comes to anti-vaccine sentiments.

“That’s my brother and we’re all here together, and I don’t think he’s downplaying [COVID-19], I just think he’s downplaying the knowledge that was given to him,” Dawkins said. “Everybody learns differently.”


Dawkins Was in Hospital for 4 Days, Lost Significant Weight

Dion-Dawkins2

GettyBuffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in October 2020.

The 27-year-old opened up more to reporters about his stay in the hospital, saying he was at Buffalo General Medical Center for four days and lost approximately 15 pounds when he was sick.

“I went from like 333, 334 [pounds] to like 318 because I wasn’t really eating. I didn’t have an appetite,” Dawkins said. “I said ‘Man, how am I a professional athlete and I’m [sick] like this?’ I said ‘I can’t imagine people who aren’t healthy and don’t work out and really don’t do anything.’ I was just like ‘Man, just God bless them.'”

Dawkins admitted that he still has a lot to do in order to be back in full playing condition, but he is feeling stronger every day.

“This is a world fight and I just got hit with a bullet, so, it is what it is,” he said. “You keep pushing and God has a way of doing stuff and making things happen in your life so you can snap back and realize that ‘Shoot, life can be over before you know it’ and regardless of what you made in life or what you did, you’ve just got to keep stepping and just do what’s right, because you never know what tomorrow brings, really.”

READ NEXT: NFL Top 100: Bills’ Controversial WR, Pro Bowl CB Among Players on List

Read More
,