Kirk Cousins answered the questions nobody was asking
In return press conference, Cousins dodged vaccination questions but made his stance clear in the process
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — No matter how grizzled the NFL reporter, nobody has quite seen anything like Kirk Cousins’s press conference on Thursday at TCO Performance Center.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback opened his media session by saying that he never contracted COVID, rather the size of the quarterbacks’ meeting room was too small to be considered “social distancing,” therefore he was forced to go on the COVID list and miss four practices. Cousins went into a hyperbolic, somewhat impassioned diatribe about how he would do anything and everything to avoid the social distancing faux pas again.
“As I said to Coach Zimmer last night, ‘We can meet in the indoor, we can meet outside,’” Cousins said. “And I said, ‘If it means meeting outside under a goal post in January, if that’s what it takes to get to the playoffs and be in playoff games and win playoff games, then that’s where we’re going to meet.’”
Of course, nobody was interested in how the “close contact” happened. In a sport full of nuance, it’s only the bottom line that mattered when it came to Cousins’s recent absence. He could have been in a small meeting room or Jeff Bezos’s rocket ship. He wasn’t able to practice, and that was caused by being unvaccinated.
The local reporting contingent gave Cousins opportunities to answer the questions that will matter toward his 2021 status and his future. He was asked straight forwardly why he’s choosing to remain unvaccinated. Cousins responded by rolling out the “personal health” line, which feels like it’s really no longer in play when you miss practice due to being unvaccinated and the head coach calls out unvaccinated players. But Cousins kept returning to the close-contact issue.
“I think the vaccination decision is a very private health matter for me, and I’m going to keep it as such,” Cousins said. “I do believe that as a leader of the team, it’s very important to follow the protocols to avoid this close contact – because that is what it’s going to come down to. Did you have a close contact? So I’m going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact. I’ve even thought about, should I just set up literally plexiglass around where I sit, so this could never happen again? I’ve thought about it, because I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
Cousins chose not to use his podium session to give some window — even a hint — into why he’s electing to remain unvaccinated. Maybe you’re not super interested in the ins and outs of his opinion on the matter, but the door was wide open for him to lay out his decision.
“The NFL has encouraged us to get vaccinated and, as I said, it’s just a very private health decision, and I’m going to keep it private as such,” he said.
He repeatedly tried to assure everyone that it would all be OK as long as they got a bigger meeting room. Cousins talked about how effective the NFL’s protocols are and said that 2020 was “proof” of that.
When the NFL only had protocols rather than a vaccine, they ended up with team buildings being shut down across the league, moving multiple games because of outbreaks and superstar Myles Garrett’s snap count was limited for much of the season because he hadn’t fully recovered from the virus. Adam Thielen, star receiver, and Riley Reiff, starting left tackle, both missed a game due to COVID protocols. And that was with the less-communicable version of the virus.
“We’ve moved meeting rooms, so it shouldn’t happen again as far as the reason I was not at practice,” Cousins said sharply when presented with the idea that players’ absences could be a disadvantage.
There were a few more lines that didn’t quite add up. Cousins said he was doing his own research but said he’d never spoken to the NFL’s top doctor, who visited the Vikings during minicamp.
Another question asked on Thursday afternoon pertained to Cousins’s relationship with his head coach. It’s rather unusual for even the most outspoken coaches to imply that players were being selfish by not getting vaccinated. All Cousins would offer on his conversation with the head coach was that it was “very positive.”
Just days prior, Zimmer didn’t seem exactly positive about the possibility his quarterback could miss games because of protocols or if Cousins tests positive. So what does that mean? Does Zimmer now trust his QB to put himself in plexiglass, as he suggested, and make sure he plays all 17 games? Is Zimmer letting it go and moving forward? In a league that is mostly determined by coaching and quarterback play, those two things have never seemed so distant in Minnesota and there was nothing uttered on Thursday to change that notion.
As Cousins grew more terse with his answers, he eventually did answer something that everyone was wondering.
“I’m at peace with where I’m at,” he said.
That one doesn’t require any between-the-lines reading about his willingness to change his vaccination status.
Cousins did also say it was “frustrating” and “disappointing” to miss practice. There’s something all parties involved will agree on. Whether the blame is being pointed at his refusal to get vaccinated or the size of a particular meeting room in TCO Performance Center, well, we found out that it’s in the eye of the beholder.
What makes this particular issue a sticking point is that it doesn’t end with a mea culpa, like most things in sports do. Somebody gets suspended, they hold a “sorry about all that” press conference and everyone moves on. Somebody fumbles at a key time, they answer reporters’ questions after the game and that’s that. But the Vikings are going to continue walking this tightrope as the least vaccinated team in the NFL, per the Washington Post. That means wondering every week who’s going to be available. And you thought Vikings fans were stressed out by kickers…
If every team — like in 2020 — was suffering from the same worry, there might be a broader acceptance of the team’s plight. The NFL rate is now 90%, though. No matter how many protocols are followed, the fact of the matter is that the Vikings could fall behind if there are more players placed on the COVID list.
So the lingering question for many might be: How do you respect someone’s personal decision while also recognizing how it could impact the results of football games?
One way would be to find common ground — to understand. After about a dozen strenuous minutes from Cousins at the podium, it’s hard to say that his stance is understood.
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After watching Cousins' presser I have come to the conclusion that he is not a leader nor is he a team player. The "protocols" that worked last year wouldn't be necessary if he would get vaccinated. His entire presser could have been summed up by saying "don't confuse me with the facts"
Great article Mathew. We can blame Rick 100% for all of this absolutely shouldn't have been extended to make Kirk Cousins one of the highest paid quarterback's in the league.