DeMaurice Smith criticizes 'stupidity' of Bills GM's comments on cutting unvaccinated players

The NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres surprised many within the sports world in April when they announced their intentions to limit attendance to future games only to fans fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and Bills general manager Brandon Beane went one step further when he suggested he would consider cutting an unvaccinated player if doing so helped loosen certain NFL health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus. 

The NFL and NFL Players Association aren't mandating that players get vaccinated to participate in offseason activities or the 2021 season, and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith lashed out at Beane during the annual Sports Lawyers Association conference on Monday. 

"When a general manager speaks out and says something that is not only inconsistent with league policy, but just has a rank disregard for the rights of our players, I don't know any other way of characterizing that other than just the stupidity that underlines it," Smith said, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.

NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash did not mention Beane directly but added: "Our labor agreement is pretty clear on what grounds you can and can’t release a player for, and there is not a requirement that players be vaccinated."

Some players, such as Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, have already confirmed they plan to pass on getting vaccinated. Monday's comments suggest any such player released by a team between now and the conclusion of the preseason may turn his situation into a battle between union members and league owners.