Anthony Sherman set Twitter on fire with a recent tweet about the NFL’s treatment of unvaccinated players.
Currently, unvaccinated NFL players on many teams have to wear wristbands so that they can be identified, and Sherman isn’t impressed. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The NFL and the NFLPA are also at odds over the use of wristbands to identity unvaccinated players, per sources. The NFL is allowing clubs to to make players wear bright colored wristbands, which the NFLPA believes is unnecessary. Talks to continue. https://t.co/nGnFSCafI1
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2021
The former Kansas City Chiefs fullback tweeted Saturday, “The @NFL is making players wear colored wristbands now based on vaccination status. Funny, I thought we all agreed on the evils of segregation back in the 60s. Here we are again- only this time it’s based on personal health choices instead of skin color.”
The @NFL is making players wear colored wrist bands now based on vaccination status. Funny, I thought we all agreed on the evils of segregation back in the 60s. Here we are again- only this time it’s based on personal health choices instead of skin color.
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
It also didn’t take Sherman long at all to walk back his comments and claim his words had been “twisted and spun to mean something I did not say nor intend.”
“What I was drawing out was a principled point that segregation based on immutable characteristics like race IS EVIL. And what makes that evil is denying a human, who is made in the image of God and has inherent dignity and value, the same civil rights as another human being,” Sherman explained.
It is clear my words have been twisted and spun to mean something I did not say nor intend.
I NEVER said that segregating players based on vaccination status was AS BAD as racism and the segregation of the 60s. What I was drawing out was a principled point that segregation based— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
on immutable characteristics like race IS EVIL. And what makes that evil is denying a human, who is made in the image of God and has inherent dignity and value, the same civil rights as another human being.
Now – transition to the vaccination question.Yes – someone’s choice to
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
get vaccinated or not is based on any NUMBER of considerations- including personal medical history, natural immunity, religious beliefs and more is NOT immutable like race. But calling it merely a “choice” is oversimplified. There are physical realities, like in the case of
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
natural immunity and spiritual realities like in the case of deeply held religious beliefs that may cause someone to choose not to get a vaccine. In this nation, we profess to believe in religious freedom and protections.
Do you even KNOW what NFL players who choose to remain
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
unvaccinated experience?
They can’t eat with their teammates.
They are not allowed in the weight room with players who are vaccinated.
They can’t leave the hotel when they travel.
They have to wear masks at ALL times.
And IF an outbreak happens that is linked to the player,— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
class citizens within the league.
Recalling the DEFINITION of segregation: the separation or isolation of a race, CLASS, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
discriminatory means.
THIS is the point I was making in my previous tweet. Segregating the unvaccinated from the vaccinated is discrimination based on personal medical choice. It is not only wrong, it is unAmerican.
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
Do I think Sherman truly meant that wearing a wristband is the same as racial segregation? Absolutely not. He just should have been much better with the way he phrased things.
Generally speaking, if you ever find yourself comparing things to the holocaust or racial segregation, you should probably dial it back a bit.
Odds are high that you’ve gone too far.
The league clearly values being woke, not awake. What a shame. And what a sham.
— Anthony Sherman (@Shermanator_42) July 31, 2021
Now, should people be upset and overreacting about Sherman’s comments on social media? Of course not. It’s social media. It’s funny money. It means next to nothing.
Turns out Anthony Sherman showed up to training camp wearing a clown suit this year.
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) July 31, 2021
Sometimes, not every thought you have in your head needs to be said online. And this applies to just about everyone.