'It's Un-American and Socialist': Former NFL Player Slams League's Vaccine Mandate

Former NFL safety Jack Brewer is slamming the league for coming as close as it can to mandating players get vaccinated against COVID-19 without actually forcing athletes to get the shots.

Brewer, speaking with The Daily Wire, condemned the policies in place at the NFL as “un-American” and “socialist.”

“It’s wrong,” he told the outlet. “It’s un-American, and I think it resembles the new NFL that is aligning themselves with socialist movements. I don’t agree with it.”

LISTEN TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

The retired Minnesota Vikings player made the comments just days after the NFL instituted strict vaccination protocols. Those who have been vaccinated can, for the most part, return to pre-pandemic life: they no longer have to wear masks or submit to daily COVID-19 tests, they are permitted to travel, will be able to eat in the cafeteria with other vaccinated people, and will come under no restrictions regarding marketing, media, or sponsorship opportunities.

Players who refuse vaccination, however, will face daily tests, will be required to wear masks in all team facilities and while traveling, are barred from using the saunas and steam rooms, cannot leave their hotel rooms to eat at restaurants, and are prohibited from taking part in any marketing, media, or sponsorship opportunities.

Brewer described the policy as “your typical leftist big government move.”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

“I think it’s obviously absurd and it’s grounded in deceit,” he explained. “If this rule or this messaging was grounded in truth, I think the NFL players are mature enough to be able to take that. And I think if you start talking about what it really should be about, and that’s player safety — at the end of the day, the league’s focus should be on player safety. Player safety has everything to do with making sure that the players are protected from the virus and that they have proper health care. And the fact is, there has been zero — not a single NFL player, a single professional athlete, has died from the coronavirus.”

He went on to argue the decision by the NFL is “straight political.”

“They’ve already turned into a political arm of the Democratic Party,” Brewer said. “All of their messaging supports leftist policies from top to bottom. From all of a sudden becoming gay during Pride week to backing Black Lives Matter — despite [BLM’s] all-out assault on the nuclear family and on Christian principles in the nation. The NFL has made it clear where they stand on these social issues and what they want to back. They’ve put millions of dollars of advertisement into these social causes to corrupt the minds of our children. And those that look up to players and look up to this league, and those that enjoy the sport, are now forced to take on these leftist policies, and either embrace them or turn the TV off.”

Brewer, it should be noted, is not the only one taking issue with the NFL’s vaccine protocols.

In late July, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said the highly restrictive measures put in place by her league are “making me question my future in the NFL.”

Freedom?

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) July 22, 2021

Tyler Conway, a reporter for the Bleacher Report, condemned Hopkins for his comments, saying the vaccine “is freedom” and the NFL “is showing its freedom as a private business to punish dangerous people who refuse to vaccinate and endanger their communities.”

Leftist commentator Jon Pavlovitz told the athlete he is “free to sit out” and should “do better.”

Some, however, have defended those pushing back against the policy, noting that, while it’s not technically a mandate, it nevertheless operates as one.

“[I’m] happy Hopkins is standing up for himself,” wrote OutKick reporter Gary Sheffield, Jr. “Pro-forced vaxxers are going to claim he isn’t being forced into getting vaccinated, which is completely false. You are hanging his work-life over his head into making a decision you support. That’s unconstitutional.”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***