Buffalo Bills General Manager Brandon Beane receives call from NFL in regards to vaccination comments

This week, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane made some interesting comments regarding his players and COVID-19 vaccinations. Subsequently, Beane received a call from the NFL regarding his comments.

On the "One Bills Live" radio show this past Wednesday, Beane was asked what he would do if any of his players refused to get vaccinated. Beane boldly claimed he would cut players who showed up to training camp unvaccinated. He said:

"Yeah, I would cut them, because it would be an advantage."

Beane was referring to the fact that the NFL may officially adopt the same types of protocols that Major League Baseball has with vaccinated players and staff. In that system, teams with higher percentages of vaccinated players and staff will not have to follow rigid protocols. Beane feels teams who will have to follow strict protocols will be at a disadvantage, and so instead he would prefer to release the unvaccinated players.

The NFL called Beane to discuss his comments

NFL called Bills' Brandon Beane over vaccine-related cuts talk https://t.co/FAxFrQcqd3 pic.twitter.com/Vmo6UTKRci

— New York Post (@nypost) May 7, 2021

The NFL didn't agree with Brandon Beane's comments and called him this week, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero. The NFL informed Beane that teams are not allowed to cut players simply because they haven't received the COVID-19 vaccine.

The NFL sent a letter to all its teams this past March, saying that it wouldn't be mandatory for players to get vaccinated and that there wouldn't be a penalty if they chose not to. However, the NFL did say that there would be lighter restrictions and incentives for teams that reached a designated threshold in the percentage of players vaccinated.

Bills GM Brandon Beane hypothetically suggested this week that he’d cut an unvaccinated player if it would provide more freedom within the team facilities for meetings and offseason programs. The NFL says you can't do that. https://t.co/ruHHdHj19z

— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) May 7, 2021

Brandon Beane has been the Buffalo Bills general manager since 2017. Before being hired by the Bills, he had worked with the Carolina Panthers since 1998. He began working with the Panthers, first as an intern, and worked his way up to Assistant General Manager, a position he held until 2016.

The Buffalo Bills hired Brandon Beane after they parted ways with Doug Whaley. The Bills were looking for a general manager with experience in the position as well as understanding of head coach Sean McDermott.

Beane and McDermott worked together with the Carolina Panthers, and that made Beane the perfect candidate for the Bills general manager position. Beane and McDermott have led the Bills to the AFC Championship game in 2020, the first time that they have progressed that far in the postseason since the mid-1990's.

Beane signed a contract extension with the Bills this past December, which runs until the 2025 season.