'They're not going to strong-arm me into getting a shot': Miami Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen accuses NFL of 'taking away freedoms' of unvaccinated players with testing and mask mandates
Miami Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen insisted he will not let the NFL 'strong-arm' him into getting a COVID-19 vaccine and accused the league of 'taking away freedoms' by making unvaccinated players take extra precautions.
'For me, it's a personal choice, and it's bigger than just COVID,' Shaheen told reporters after practice on Saturday.
'The NFL is trying to push it. ... I'm going to continue to go through the protocols of the unvaccinated that they make me do. I'm not going to get fined.'
Shaheen, 26, came off the COVID-19 list Thursday after being placed on it due to being in close contact with tight ends coach George Godsey, who tested positive last weekend despite being vaccinated.
Adam Shaheen, 26, says he will not let the NFL 'push' him into a vaccine despite rising cases and hospitalizations in Florida, where he plays as a tight end for the Miami Dolphins
Shaheen, right, accused the league of taking away the 'freedom' of unvaccinated players
'But they're not going to strong-arm me into getting it. They're not,' Shaheen added.
More than 85 percent of the Dolphins and more than 90 percent of all NFL players have been vaccinated, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The Florida Hospital Association reported 22,783 new cases Friday - another record high from 21,683 reported on June 30, as the more contagious Delta variant rips through the state, sending hospitalizations to higher levels than anywhere else in the nation.
In his Twitter page, Shaheen describes his location as 'somewhere without a mask.'
Ninety percent of Shaheen's NFL colleagues are vaccinated, including 85 percent of Dolphins
On his Twitter profile, Shaheen describes his location as 'somewhere without a mask'
Unvaccinated NFL players have to wear masks at team facilities and undergo routine COVID tests.
'If you want to wear a mask and protect yourself and those around you, they say, all for it. No problem,' he said about masks, according to the Post.
'But if I don’t want to, it shouldn’t be looked down upon when you don’t do one side or the other. I think that’s part of what I alluded to earlier, part of the bigger problem with this entire thing.'
Shaheen said the NFL is 'taking away freedoms of the unvaccinated guys,' by making them go through protocols that vaccinated players avoid.
The NFL is insisting forfeits will be a possibility this season if a team is unable to play due to an outbreak of unvaccinated players and the game can't be rescheduled.
Shaheen says he understands what the NFL is doing.
'This is a business. And from their point of view, they want us to play in the games,' he said. 'Absolutely, I get that. They're trying to do everything they can.
COVID cases in Florida continue to rise as the more contagious Delta rips through the state
Florida has the country's highest hospitalization rate and a governor who refuses to enforce mask mandates, going so far as sparring with local school boards that have put them in place
'Now, that being said, for us to go and push more protocols than we had last year is beyond me. But, like I said, I'm going to do what they ask and require me and that's going to be that. And, you know what, I'll take it one day at a time.'
Shaheen could be in a battle to make the roster as he had just 12 catches for 150 yards last season. He did have three touchdowns while starting five of Miami's 16 games.
The tight end played his first three seasons with the Chicago Bears. He has 55 catches for 399 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 games (18 starts).
Shaheen was a second-round pick (45th overall) by the Bears in the 2017 draft after playing at Ashland University.