FORT WORTH, Texas — Buffalo knew what Cole Beasley did not.
He was done, and done.
The Bills cut the controversial wide receiver in the offseason, and the ex-Cowboy openly lobbied for another chance with another team to keep playing.
He got one with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Beasley caught four passes in two games, and quit pro football for the second time in his career.
Expect this one to stick.
The former SMU and Dallas Cowboys receiver announced on Wednesday he is retiring from football effectively immediately.
Regardless, 11 years in the NFL isn’t bad for a guy who quit football during his first training camp with the Cowboys in 2012.
As an undrafted player his story should be inspiring, but he will forever be known as the anti-vax guy.
People probably forget that Beasley quit only a few months after he signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of SMU.
At that time, in August 2012, he told then-Cowboys coach Jason Garrett that it wasn’t in his heart at this time.
Beasley returned to become a top slot receiver for the Cowboys for seven seasons and was in Buffalo for three.
In Dak Prescott’s 2016 rookie season, Beasley was his lifeline and his emergency bail-out target.
Beasley was not offered a new deal by the Cowboys after the 2018 season, and he signed with Buffalo where he excelled with quarterback Josh Allen.
During the 2020 NFL season, however, Beasley went all-in against the NFL’s mandatory COVID vaccination policies.
Cole didn’t go full QAnon crazy, but he openly questioned the policies and refused to take the shot.
In December 2021, he was placed on the COVID list and missed the Bills’ game against New England.
Cole took to his Instagram account to write, “Just to be clear COVID is not keeping me out of this game. The rules are.
“Vaxxed players are playing with Covid every week now because they don’t test. One of my vaxxed teammates is in the hospital missing games. I’m sure he didn’t get this same energy. Thank you for those who support. Everyone else, if you don’t get what’s happening then there is nothing anybody can do for you.”
This did not help his chances of remaining with the Bills.
Considering how it began, and how it all evolved, Cole Beasley’s career should be an inspiration for any undrafted player who wants a shot.
Instead, Cole Beasley will be remembered for his stance on a different shot.
