Bills' Isaiah McKenzie gets vaccinated days after NFL fines him almost $15K for violating mask policy
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: Isaiah McKenzie #19 of the Buffalo Bills walks to the field prior to an AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Bills Stadium on January 16, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Benn
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie has gotten vaccinated just days after getting fined nearly $15,000 for violating the NFL’s mask policy.
McKenzie, 26, shared the update on his Instagram Stories Saturday morning, showing his vaccination card with a caption that read "for the greater good."
On Thursday, McKenzie shared a letter from the NFL informing him that he had been fined $14,6500 for violating the league’s mask policy while in a team facility.
"Your refusal to wear a mask occurred after you were informed that it was required for unvaccinated players as set forth in your 2021 club discipline schedule and as reiterated by signage throughout the club facility stating that unvaccinated players may be subject to fines/discipline for failing to wear a mask," the memo read. "Your refusal to wear a mask also occurred shortly after league staff gave a presentation on Aug. 25 regarding the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 Protocols (the 'Protocols'), including the mask-wearing requirement and that unvaccinated players are subject to fines/discipline for refusal to wear a mask. In addition, by letter dated July 27, 2021, you received a written warning for refusing to wear a mask and were specifically advised that ‘future violations of the Protocols will result in increased discipline, including for conduct detrimental.' Still, as noted above, you again refused to wear a mask at the club facility."
Wideout Cole Beasley, who entered a five-day reentry process earlier this week after he was around a full vaccinated Bills trainer who tested positive, said he was also fined.
Beasley and three other players, all who are unvaccinated, tested negative but were required to be removed from the facility, per league policy. A vaccinated player who tests negative after coming in contact with a positive case would not be subject to the five-day reentry process.
McKenzie’s decision to get vaccinated also comes just days after head coach Sean McDermott expressed his frustrations with the team’s COVID situation.
"There’s people’s livelihoods at stake in terms of, you know, people’s jobs, people’s performances… is judged off of wins and losses or how well a person does ‘X’ or ‘Y’ and some of that is dependent upon other members of the team," he told reporters on Thursday.
"If this were a real [regular season] week, having the players out that we’ve had, that makes it hard to win games that way. That’s the competitive piece of this."