Draymond and Izzo on Covid vaccinations

Draymond showed a rare reluctance to be a leader when he refused to encourage teammate Andrew Wiggins to get vaccinated.  Wiggins's availability could be severely impacted without a vaccination.  

Here's what Draymond said:

I think there is something to be said for people’s concern about something that’s being pressed so hard. Like, why are you pressing this so hard? Like, so much, just pressing and pressing and pressing. I think you have to honor people’s feelings and their own personal beliefs – and I think that’s been lost when it comes to vaccinated and non-vaccinated. And it kinda sucks that that’s been lost, because you’re essentially not giving anyone… you say we live in the land of the free? Well you’re not giving anyone freedom because you’re making people do something, essentially. Without necessarily making them, you’re making them do something.

And that goes against everything that America stands for, or ‘supposedly’ stands for. And so I don’t think… no, I know I’m not in any position to go tell him what he should or should not be doing. And as a leader of this team I’m not going to go to him say ‘hey man, we really need…’ Nah, the hell, you do what you feel you want to do. I’m not going to go ask him did he get a polio vaccine. So why would I go ask him if he got a COVID vaccine?

Right after he said he knows he's not in any position to tell his teammate what he should or should not be doing, he called himself a leader of the team. I like Draymond, but that's very weak.

He should've taken a cue from Izzo, who made these comments this week:

I’ve been through a lot of things in my life, and I am encouraging, pleading and begging people to get vaccinated.  I think it’s so important because I don’t think it’s only about ourselves, I think it’s about the person next to you.

Part of the problem is we won't all get vaccinated.  We're not helping each other.

I would encourage everybody to please get vaccinated, please. Listen to the best medical people, not the social-media experts that are putting garbage out there.

I've heard some reasons not to get vaccinated that I look and I say, 'Guy's gotta be kidding me.'  I go with Fauci and the medical people.  My team got fully vaccinated, my managers, my secretaries, my janitor.  My building is vac-cin-a-ted.  And when it's time to get the booster, I'm sure my group will be vac-cin-a-ted then, too.

“ Well you’re not giving anyone freedom because you’re making people do something, essentially.”

This is monumentally stupid.

“You’re not giving them the freedom to choose!” They have a choice. But so does their employer, they have the choice to not employ them if they don’t want to. Why does draymond want to restrict employers freedom to make their own choices about who they want to employ? That’s so unamerican.

If we went through with Draymond’s brilliant suggestion, then the only freedom limiting option would be happening- the employers freedom to choose who to employ.

I like how Draymond, the guy who once told Durrell Summers, "Help me! I helped your dumb ass!" now says he won't tell teammates what they should do.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:“ Well you’re not giving anyone freedom because you’re making people do something, essentially.”

This is monumentally stupid.

“You’re not giving them the freedom to choose!” They have a choice. But so does their employer, they have the choice to not employ them if they don’t want to. Why does draymond want to restrict employers freedom to make their own choices about who they want to employ? That’s so unamerican.

If we went through with Draymond’s brilliant suggestion, then the only freedom limiting option would be happening- the employers freedom to choose who to employ.

The sport which has earned him millions of dollars is based on a lack of freedom. A lack of freedom to pick the ball up and run with it. A lack of freedom to hack or tackle the opponent. A lack of freedom to stick your hand up through the basket and knock a ball away. In other words, rules. Ok, those are just rules for the game. What about the rules of what uniform that they wear? Or the team rules about going to practice or what time to arrive for a game? "I should have the freedom to go out drinking all day and night and then show up drunk as a skunk and play like shit." This isn't the 50s, fergodsakes.

Every fucking job in the world has rules that restrict your "freedom". It may be set by the company or it might be set by the government. Even if you own the company, you're bound by freedom-limiting rules that say you have to pay taxes, can't scam or steal from people, etc. People need to STFU about jobs violating your freedoms by requiring you to so do something.

Izzo is correct.

Here’s a personal anecdote.

Friend’s 89 year old father unexpectedly died Sunday Oct 31. (Not COVID, he had a fatal stroke while hunting in the woods and was found dead at his hunting spot of 30+ years when he didn’t respond on his 2 way radio)

Known the friend for over 20 years. Good folks. Whole family very Catholic, Right to Life and ergo anti-vax (stem cells).

Wife and I opted not to attend the visitation/rosary or funeral because neither want COVID again and we’re flying to New England post booster in December (wearing k95’s.)

Friend called last night to let us know he, his wife, his daughter, son and a daughter-in-law all tested positive for COVID on Wed 10 Nov. None were vaccination. Visitation was a week before and he said very few wore masks.

Shits still happening. Given what I’m seeing in stores, post Thanksgiving might be the next wave.

GRR Spartan wrote:Izzo is correct.

Here’s a personal anecdote.

Friend’s 89 year old father unexpectedly died Sunday Oct 31. (Not COVID, he had a fatal stroke while hunting in the woods and was found dead at his hunting spot of 30+ years when he didn’t respond on his 2 way radio)

Known the friend for over 20 years. Good folks. Whole family very Catholic, Right to Life and ergo anti-vax (stem cells).

Wife and I opted not to attend the visitation/rosary or funeral because neither want COVID again and we’re flying to New England post booster in December (wearing k95’s.)

Friend called last night to let us know he, his wife, his daughter, son and a daughter-in-law all tested positive for COVID on Wed 10 Nov. None were vaccination. Visitation was a week before and he said very few wore masks.

Shits still happening. Given what I’m seeing in stores, post Thanksgiving might be the next wave.

Funeral homes are super spreaders. Combine an overcrowded, poorly ventilated room with people crying and hugging. The last visitation I attended ( sadly for my brother) there were over 700 people that came through. At least 50 got covid. Myself, pregnant daughter in law and 3 year old grand daughter included.

They are fine and so is the new baby. I have some lingering respiratory issues but otherwise fine.

GRR Spartan wrote:Izzo is correct.

Here’s a personal anecdote.

Friend’s 89 year old father unexpectedly died Sunday Oct 31. (Not COVID, he had a fatal stroke while hunting in the woods and was found dead at his hunting spot of 30+ years when he didn’t respond on his 2 way radio)

Known the friend for over 20 years. Good folks. Whole family very Catholic, Right to Life and ergo anti-vax (stem cells).

Wife and I opted not to attend the visitation/rosary or funeral because neither want COVID again and we’re flying to New England post booster in December (wearing k95’s.)

Friend called last night to let us know he, his wife, his daughter, son and a daughter-in-law all tested positive for COVID on Wed 10 Nov. None were vaccination. Visitation was a week before and he said very few wore masks.

Shits still happening. Given what I’m seeing in stores, post Thanksgiving might be the next wave.

First and foremost, GRR, I'm sorry to hear about your friend's dad, and hope that your friend and his family come through ok.

I don't want to Bin this up, but I do feel that the bolded part needs correcting. The Pope and the Catholic church are firmly pro-vax. They've said it firmly and explicitly. That it is an act of loving your neighbor and is people's moral responsibility to get vaccinated. As far as the stem cells, they said that they are from fetuses from years ago and does nothing to encourage abortions that haven't already happened long ago. I know there are some anti-vax priests (including a Cardinal or Bishop that made headlines in Wisconsin, I think), but they have gone against the Vatican, so they've shown that they put their personal politics over what they claim to believe in.

I'm probably best labeled as agnostic (mostly I'm just indifferent), so I don't want to come across as a papist. But there are often misconceptions about where the Catholic Church falls on things like science, including among many Catholics themselves.

Anyone using religion as an excuse isn't talking established religions. The only anti-vax one out there are the Christian science people. The rest are using religion as an excuse to be an asshole. (Shocking, i know.)

& some podunk right wing wackado church that was recently ran out of someone's basement will write everyone an excuse letter for a donation if they need it.

Its a damned shame. For me it illustrates how politics (I am including using stem cell as an excuse because of the politics of religion) is permeating a statistically significant portion of the population and changing our social fabric.

I can't solve the conundrum of being "Pro-Life" and refusing the COVID vaccination except its a statement of defiance.

This guy is retired. His wife survived breast cancer about 3 years ago. They have 3 adult children and the one that was vaccinated (because his employer forced the issue with vaccination or daily tests and mask requirement choice) tested negative.

This week Newaygo Public schools are closed Nov 9-15 because of students, teachers and bus drivers with COVID, COVID quarantine and flu along with a shortage of substitute teachers and extra bus drivers.

Today Hopkins schools in Allegan County announced they are cancelling classes today and Friday due to COVID and COVID quarantine plus they are closing the entire week of Thanksgiving.

Don't know what its like in other areas but here in West MI its clear a lot of folks think the greatest COVID threats are over based on what I'm seeing while shopping at Costco, Meijer etc. Less than 20% of shoppers are wearing masks and we know vaccination rates are less than 70%.

This week I saw seniors lining up at Meijer for Flu and COVID shots sans masks