Vikings' Kirk Cousins clarifies coronavirus comments, cites Christian faith regarding outlook on death
Cousins had expressed a cavalier attitude toward the pandemic when talking about it Wednesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins attempted to clear the air Wednesday following his controversial comments on a podcast about getting the coronavirus.
Cousins expressed a cavalier attitude toward the coronavirus when talking about it on Spotify’s “10 Questions with Kyle Brandt,” which was published early Wednesday.
VIKINGS' KIRK COUSINS UNAFRAID TO DIE FROM CORONAVIRUS, STILL WEARS MASK OUT OF RESPECT FOR OTHERS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the interview, Cousins said: “I want to respect what other people's concerns are. For me personally, just talking no one else can get the virus, what is your concern if you could get it, I would say I'm gonna go about my daily life. If I get it, I'm gonna ride it out. I'm gonna let nature do its course. Survival-of-the-fittest kind of approach. And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I'm going to be OK. You know, even if I die. If I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that," he continued.
“So that’s really where I fall on it, so my opinion on wearing a mask is really about being respectful to other people. It really has nothing to do with my own personal thoughts.”
He attempted to clarify his comments about the virus during his media availability with reporters, according to NFL.com.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I went on that Kyle Brandt podcast about a month ago, maybe a month and a half ago, in July, and what I was trying to say back then, admittedly, I probably wasn't as clear as I would have liked to have been,” he said.
NFL REQUIRING COACHES, STAFF NEAR BENCH TO WEAR MASKS
“But what I wanted to say then, what I would echo again now is that while the virus does not give me a great amount of personal fear, there's still great reason for me to engage in wearing a mask and social distancing and washing my hands as frequently as I can and following protocols that have been set in place, obviously to be respectful and considerate of other people, which is very important, but then also to be available for all 16 games this fall, because as the protocol is set up, if a player were to test positive, they would be potentially out of a game or games. And so there's plenty of reasons to wear a mask, social distance and be very vigilant to help stop the spread of the virus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“That was the heart behind what I was trying to say in July," he continued. "Admittedly, I didn't say it as clear as I would have liked to. So I just want to share that same message again and hopefully articulate it a little bit better. But that has always been my heart and is, again, now, just trying to say that.”
The Athletic noted that Cousins, when he said he was at peace with the possibility of dying, was using his Christian faith to help deal with the obstacles he might face with the virus.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE NFL COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I have peace. I don’t believe I control the outcome of my life. There are many things out of my control, but obviously my faith is at the foundation of my life, and I trust the Lord to handle things,” he said.
Cousins, the NFL and the rest of the U.S. will still have to deal with the coronavirus until there’s a proper vaccine for the illness. So far, there doesn’t seem to be anything that is stopping the NFL from playing its full schedule.