The Minnesota Vikings opted to give their players an unexpected day off on Wednesday, but little did they know the team and its starting quarterback would be busy putting out a fire.
Kirk Cousins made waves upon the release of a podcast he recorded in July with NFL Network personality and The Ringer podcast host Kyle Brandt. About 15 minutes into the show — more or less an hour-long informal conversation meant to get high-profile athletes out of their comfort zone — Cousins was asked a series of questions about his stance on wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the quarterback said he wants to “respect other people’s concerns,” he also added: “I’m going to let nature run its course, survival of the fittest kind of approach, and if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I’m going to be OK. Even if I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that.”
In an apparent weeks-old interview published today on @KyleBrandt‘s podcast, Kirk Cousins talked about respecting concerns around COVID-19 and his personal thoughts. pic.twitter.com/hrrtBZB29A
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) September 2, 2020
The backlash was swift as Cousins also classified his level of concern over mask-wearing as a 0.0001 on a scale of 1 to 10. The Vikings moved Cousins’ media availability up a day so Cousins could clarify his comments.
“I was just referring to my own perspective,” Cousins said on a Zoom call. “Again, I said, that’s why hypotheticals don’t work very well. I was just saying, if nobody else is going to get it, I’m OK. I’ll be OK. I’m at peace with that for me.
“There are many risk factors and other factors that will affect one’s approach. I have family and friends who take a very different approach because of risk factors. Obviously, everybody’s in a different place.”
On one hand, it’s rare to get moments of transparency from high-profile athletes. Fans and reporters yearn for them to let their guard down and speak honestly, as Cousins did in this situation. But there’s a good reason he is being held accountable for his words.
Cousins is part of an organization that has rolled out myriad measures to avoid exposure to COVID-19, yet the head infection control officer Eric Sugarman contracted the virus along with his entire family, and over half a dozen Vikings players had to remain in isolation after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list early in camp. The virus has affected the organization.
That organization is part of a league that is dependent on COVID-19 mitigation if its going to hold a full season and maintain an operational salary cap in 2021 and future seasons.The NFL has taken it seriously, holding a virtual draft, canceling offseason practices, shortening training camps and eliminating preseason games. Clearly, the league has high concern about the virus, and it needs its players — particularly ambassadors like Cousins — to do their part.
It doesn’t appear like Cousins is shirking protocols often. He said in July and again on Wednesday that while he doesn’t have personal fear he wishes to be cognizant of others. Wearing the masks, he says, has become such a way of life around the team facility that he feels like something’s missing when he’s not wearing one.
“That was what I was trying to say in July is that I want to be very respectful and considerate of everyone else,” Cousins said. “It’s a great opportunity to show that every day with the way you wash your hands consistently and wear a mask and are respectful of other people.”
But there’s a disconnect between Cousins’ assertion that he’s respectful of others and his comments to Brandt. Considering Cousins’ status as a team captain with an influential voice, he’s being relied upon to evangelize COVID-19 prevention to his teammates. He’s also fairly important to the team’s plan to be competitive in 2020.
“We’ve just got to factor in our audience and situation,” Cousins said to Brandt when asked about dealing with COVID-19 prevention around his teammates.
His insinuation was that some players take it more seriously than others and that Cousins would be respectful of those concerned. But what if an unconcerned group shares a common space without individuals that have reservations about the virus? Are steps still taken? Mask-wearing isn’t meant to provide a security blanket for those uncomfortable but rather safety for people of all mindsets. As Sugarman said after his positive test: “This virus does not discriminate.”
Because the NFL isn’t operating in a bubble like the NBA or NHL, players are asked to take precautions not just at the facility but in their home lives as well. Cousins has the right to his beliefs, but those must be balanced with the requests of his employer, which stem from league and national health experts. On Wednesday he described ordering more food delivery than usual this year and trying to minimize exposure outside the home. Those steps are beneficial to preventing spread and shouldn’t go unrecognized. Cousins, though, will be held to an even higher standard going forward, and Wednesday he demonstrated glimpses of understanding as to why his comments were interpreted as they were.
“There’s still great reason for me to engage in wearing a mask and social distancing and washing my hands as frequently as I can,” said Cousins, “and following protocols that have been set in place, obviously, to be respectful and considerate of other people, which is very important. But then also to be available for all 16 games this fall because as the protocol is set up, if a player were to test positive, they would be potentially out of a game or games. And so there’s plenty of reasons to wear a mask, social distance and be very vigilant to help stop the spread of the virus.”
