By Melody Gross 
Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards sparked controversy on social media. The player was criticized after he said, on Monday, during the team’s pre-season presentation, that he chose not to vaccinate for “personal reasons”, as he had already contracted covid-19 and that he knew cases of people who had “adverse reactions”.
“I wish I had an explanation for this…Why are people who have already been vaccinated still infected? That doesn’t stop anyone from getting covid-19, does it?”
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“When I got infected, I just lost my sense of smell. I don’t think you can pressure anyone to make a decision about their bodies or what they put in their bodies. People make their own decisions. I spoke to my family and we made a decision. A collective decision for what we thought was best for us” .
The player also commented on the impact of the backlash on the team. “Some people have reactions to the vaccine, but no one wants to talk about it. What happens if one of our players gets the vaccine and can’t play after that? Or if they have complications? There are cases like that.”
Bell was targeted by a number of followers on social media, and some of them asked him to study the decision further. Some notes “Bradley, get some feel” or “The vaccine doesn’t stop you from getting the virus, it teaches your immune system to fight it.”
Remember that Andrew Wiggins, of the Golden State Warriors, has already asked not to be vaccinated for religious reasons, a request denied by the NBA.