The NFL is currently riddled with another outbreak of COVID-19, so much so that the league implemented new rules on Thursday, December 16, so that teams could better protect their players and staff.
As for the Buffalo Bills, they currently have just one player out on COVID/reserve, linebacker Tyrel Dodson. The 23-year-old was one of 37 NFL players placed on the reserve list on Monday, a number that has since grown to 116 players, per Yahoo! Sports.
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Dodson, who’s become one of the Bills’ key players, participating in 223 special teams snaps, and recorded 15 tackles in the past 13 games over 78 snaps on defense, as reported by NBC Sports, sent out a strong message on Twitter following the NFL’s newly implemented protocols.
“I know a lot of people my age, don’t believe into the severity of Covid,” Dodson tweeted, “But it’s real, I know we’ve kind of shied away from the seriousness of it as a society But continue to keep others in mind. I am vaccinated & still got it. Just keep others in mind.”
In a follow-up tweet, Dodson added, “Still don’t know how I got it, still wear a mask when I’m out and about.”
Dodson’s Message Stirred Up Various Strong Responses on Twitter
Dodson revealing his vacation status and encouraging others, even young people, to get vaccinated was met with both cheers and jeers.
One person responded, “Good on you for saying this and getting vaccinated. Here’s hoping to a speedy and full recovery,” while another person tweeted, “Everyone is going to get it. The sooner people realize that and accept it, the sooner we can all move forward without fear.”
“800,000 Americans could not be reached for comment,” one man tweeted, as The New York Times reported on Thursday that 802,000 people have died in the United States from COVID-19 thus far.
One woman also commented on the current death toll to respond to Dodson’s tweet: “Get well soon. Sadly, no vaccine is 100% and hopefully mild symptoms since you are [vaccinated]. Thanks for doing your part to stop something that has killed over 800,000 in the US and sending the right message out to the world.”
Dodson Will Not Be Able to Play in Week 15 Vs. the Panthers
After losing to back-to-back games to the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bills must beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday to order to remain in the postseason hunt.
Dodson clearly wants to get back out on the field and help his team secure a victory in Week 15, but due to COVID-19, he won’t be able to. While many people believed this mean that Dodson was not vaccinated, the opposite was true.
The undrafted player out of Texas A&M set the record straight by retweeting a response to those assuming he was unvaccinated. “He’s ruled out less than a week between testing positive, not many can clear the virus in 4 days regardless of vaccination status.”
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Bills LBs Tweet About Vaccination Status Goes Viral