I cannot feel sorry for this guy: “Vikings' Rick Dennison reportedly out as assistant coach after refusing COVID-19 vaccine”

“Stupid is as stupid does”


… Overpaid, now must get a real job


For the record, I had never heard of Rick Dennison. After his ridiculous move last week, no one else will ever hear of him either. 


For the record, football coaches as a whole on the professional and college levels are overpaid. 


However, Dennison does not have to worry about ever getting an NFL paycheck any more. 


Maybe he believes that he did the right thing, and maybe he did. 


For the record, he did the stupid thing. 


He will never again get the kind of money that he was making as a line coach with the Minnesota Vikings. 


What did he do?


Perhaps he thought that he was acting out of principle. For a man who lost his wife to cancer and who tried to save her through science, this is an incredibly stupid thing for a coach to do, even if he is 63 years old and the father of two boys. 


After refusing to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, Rick Dennison is out as a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Friday.


Dennison had served as the Vikings' offensive line coach/run game coordinator the past two seasons. In a statement Friday, the Vikings said they were still in discussions with Dennison about the league's COVID-19 protocols.


Another coach in the league, New England Patriots co-offensive line coach Cole Popovich, also won't be with his team in 2021 in a decision related to the COVID-19 vaccine and NFL guidelines, league sources confirmed to ESPN.


The vaccine is required for all Tier 1 staff, including coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers and scouts. Players are not required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine but will face strict protocols during training camp and throughout the season that vaccinated players will be able to forgo.


In a memo released by the league this summer, the NFL said any unvaccinated Tier 1 staff member must provide a valid religious or medical reason for not receiving the vaccine. Losing Tier 1 status prohibits coaches from being on the field and in meeting rooms and having direct interactions with players.


Courtney Cronin, “Rick Dennison out as Minnesota Vikings assistant after 

refusing COVID-19 vaccine, sources say,” ESPN, July 23, 2021


So many people felt sorry for Dennison in losing a wife at a young age. That does not excuse his stupidity in being reckless with young men who have their lives ahead of them. 


Those working with NFL players are required to get the vaccine, and if they do not, then it is sayonara. 


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