Miami Tight End Won’t Let NFL ‘Strong-Arm’ Him On Vaccine: Report

MIAMI, FL — After exposure to someone with COVID-19 landed unvaccinated Miami Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen on the team’s reserve list, he said he has no plans to get vaccinated and spoke out against the NFL’s pressure on players to get inoculated against the virus.

"For me, it's a personal choice and it's bigger than just COVID," Shaheen told reporters Saturday, according to WPTV. "I'm not going to elaborate further on that. There is — the NFL has been trying to push it. It is no secret that they've been trying to push it on unvaccinated guys. I'm going to continue to go through the protocols of the unvaccinated that they make me do. I'm not going to get fined. But they are not going to strong-arm me into doing something for more freedom when this is such a changing atmosphere and they are already taking away freedoms of unvaccinated guys."

Shaheen was one of three tight ends placed on Miami’s reserve list earlier this month after the team’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, George Godsey, tested positive for COVID-19, NBC Sports reported.

Players who are high-risk close contacts to someone with COVID-19 and those who test positive for the virus are put on the reserve list. Unvaccinated players who are high-risk close contacts must quarantine themselves for five days, reports said. However, vaccinated players don’t need to quarantine after exposure, reports said. Shaheen was activated from the COVID-19/reserve list Thursday.

According to the team roster, the 26-year-old tight end was traded to the Dolphins from Chicago July 26, 2020. Since then, the five-year NFL veteran has played in 16 games for Miami in 2020 with five starts, 12 receptions totaling 150 yards and three touchdowns.

Though he hasn’t tweeted about this issue recently, Shaheen’s Twitter bio reads, “I will not comply,” and his location reads, “Somewhere without a mask.” He’s previously shared anti-mask and anti-vaccine tweets from others.