Who is Anthony Sherman? Chiefs FB bashes NFL for vaccine status wristbands
Anthony Sherman, former NFL fullback, has attacked the NFL for introducing COVID-19 wristbands.
Anthony Sherman is a retired NFL fullback who was on the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl 54 championship team. Nicknamed 'Sausage', Sherman was a fifth-round selection out of UConn in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2013, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he would play eight seasons. Anthony Sherman scored all five career TDs with the Chiefs and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in 2020 after exposure to a positive person.
Sherman eventually tested positive himself and missed a portion of the season. After the 2020 season and a Super Bowl loss, Anthony Sherman retired from the NFL.
Meanwhile, the NFL continues to battle against COVID-19 outbreaks, but has faced struggles with unvaccinated players. The league has new mandates for COVID-19 protocols, which are much more relaxed if you are vaccinated.
The latest policy is that the NFL requires all players to wear color-coded wristbands, which denote whether they're vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or fully unvaccinated. Anthony Sherman has made headlines on Twitter for his attack on the NFL for introducing the wristbands, comparing them to racial segregation.
Cole Beasley, Montez Sweat, DeAndre Hopkins and Leonard Fournette are just a few players who have been vocal against the new NFL COVID-19 mandates for unvaccinated players. They feel they are being forced to get one or else risk their team suffering.
Even NFLPA president Cleveland Browns' JC Tretter called it a 'nonsensical idea'. There has been severe backlash for Anthony Sherman's tweet, though, as people have tried to make the retired player see that color and ethnicity are not choices, unlike choosing to get a vaccine for the health and safety of others.
As of the last week of July, the NFL said that over 87% of players have had at least one shot of the vaccine; 14 teams are 90% vaccinated, and seven are over 95% vaccinated.
With that being said, Minnesota Vikings QBs Kirk Cousins and rookie Kellen Mond are on the COVID-19 list after having close contact with someone who was positive (the Vikings have the lowest percentage of vaccinated players). Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson tested positive and is on the COVID-19 list asw ell.