Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin created a stir when he recently chastised non-vaccinated Dallas Cowboys players, saying they weren't doing everything they could to win a championship.
Irvin, a three-time Super Bowl champion, reiterated his thought during an interview on 105.3 The Fan's Shan and RJ show, noting he's not taking a political stance. He just wants the Cowboys to do everything possible to get back to a Super Bowl.
"Here's what gets me. I don't mind you coming after me. I don't mind you say what you say. Do two things, though. Don't put me into your political discussion," Irvin said, via the Dallas Morning News. "Oh, right wing, left wing. I don't give a damn about that. I don't care about the right wing. I don't care about the left wing. I only care about a ring. Not the right wing, left wing -- a ring. I don't care about the conspiracy theorists, 'oh they're trying to kill us.' If the government wanted you dead, our asses would all be dead right now. So just shut up with all of that."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones praised Irvin's stance as the team opened training camp. Jones added that just a handful of Dallas players weren't already on a path toward full vaccination.
Irvin said if he were in the position of current players, no concerns about side effects or conspiracy theories would stop him from getting the vaccine. From Irvin's point of view, it's about doing everything he could to win a ring.
"My thing is, even if I had them, even if I had those fears, that there's something here, I still am going to get vaccinated," he said. "Because the fear don't override my desire to win a championship."
More than 78 percent of NFL players have had at least one shot thus far, with 14 teams reporting at least 85 percent of their players have been vaccinated. All 32 teams have at least a 50 percent vaccination rate.