NEW YORK’S BUFFALO
— Wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis of the Buffalo Bills will miss the next five days of practice after being identified as close contacts of a team trainer who tested positive for COVID-19, according to a league source.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is also under quarantine.
After testing negative for the virus on Tuesday morning, all three players are required to skip practice per to the NFL’s COVID-19 policy.
According to Schefter, the trainer is completely vaccinated.
The news of Beasley and Davis being quarantined was first reported by the New York Daily News.
The NFL’s policy, which severely restricts unvaccinated athletes while allowing vaccinated players to return to near-normalcy, drew criticism from Beasley in June, when he tweeted that he was not vaccinated and would “enjoy my one life like I want.”
If they are close contacts with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, unvaccinated players must stay away from the team for five days; vaccinated players do not have to quarantine if they are close contacts with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
Unvaccinated players are needed to be checked everyday under the policy controlling preseason and training camp, whereas vaccinated players are only required to be tested every two weeks, according to Beasley.
“It’s self-evident that if a vaxxed or unvaxxed athlete is tested less frequently, the chances of being removed for COVID diminish drastically,” Beasley said.
“In terms of player safety, I’ll just say that we all want to be safe,” Beasley said. Beasley was the Bills’ second-leading receiver in 2020, with 967 yards on 82 catches, both career highs.
During his rookie season last year, Davis had the second-most receiving touchdowns on the team with seven.
