Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin has been outspoken about his belief NFL players should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
This week, Irvin ripped current Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper for being unvaccinated. Cooper missed Sunday’s game after being put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and won’t play on Thanksgiving either.
“I’m absolutely hot about it,” Irvin told TMZ Sports. “Are you joking?”
The reaction to Irvin’s comments has largely fallen into two camps. There are those who applaud his stance, while others think he is hypocritical to rebuke Cooper considering his own issues during his playing days.
No surprise that Michael Irvin ripped Amari Cooper for not being vaccinated and putting himself in position to hurt team https://t.co/TovYdYFVg0
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 23, 2021
😳😳😳Dallas Legend, Michael Irvin Furious About WR Amari Cooper's Unvaccinated Status – LEAGUE OF JUSTICE https://t.co/Th8jAdX8pu
— Amy Dash (@AmyDashTV) November 23, 2021
Michael Irvin remains the GOAT (on this issue) https://t.co/4T6uZ0XdKC pic.twitter.com/VOqdxVkgYZ
— Broncos Reddit (@Broncos_Reddit) November 23, 2021
AMEN- somebody finally said it. https://t.co/Lkx0fGJVsh
— moonlight_3 (@3moon_light) November 23, 2021
Is he gonna stab amari coopers neck with a pair of scissors now? 🤨 https://t.co/H46qyercgx
— Santos Torres (@xSantos_Torres) November 23, 2021
Thankfully Twitter wasn’t around in his day pic.twitter.com/0NrxLSwLyu
— Frank Garcia (@frankgarcia65) November 23, 2021
It should be noted that Cooper is not the first unvaccinated NFL player to find himself in Irvin’s crosshairs. He previously blasted Aaron Rodgers for not getting the vaccine and said the star quarterback was hurting his team.
“I can’t even start in on Aaron Rodgers,” Irvin said on his podcast earlier this month. “Because I know you did not hold out this whole offseason, holding everybody accountable and saying everybody is falling short and not doing what they’re supposed to do, and you’re not vaccinated? Come on man. Cut that mess out. That blows my mind.”
In addition to Irvin’s comments, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also appears frustrated with Cooper’s situation.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also expressed frustration with Amari Cooper not being vaxxed on @1053thefan: "It is a 'we' thing when you walk into the locker room. You can't win individually. This is the classic case of how it can impact a team. And this popped us. This did pop us."
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 23, 2021
Sans Cooper, the Cowboys will host the Las Vegas Raiders in their annual Thanksgiving game on Thursday.