In September, the “10 Questions with Kyle Brandt” podcast featured Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. When discussing COVID-19, he made a bold statement, “If I die, I die.” His statement reflects a Darwinist mindset — survival of the fittest.
Immediately, his remark went viral. The Vikings moved up his media availability by one day, so he would have a chance to explain himself as soon as possible.
What I was trying to say back then, admittedly, I probably wasn’t as clear as I would have liked to have been. 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.
Cousins’ Coronavirus Concern
Cousins seemingly has no concern about contracting the coronavirus, as he stated in the podcast when asked about his concern level. He was asked to rate his concern on a scale of 1 to 10. Ten is never leaving the house, and one is believing masks are stupid, and the people who wear them are sheep. His response, “I’m not gonna call anybody stupid, for the trouble it would get me in. But I’m about a .000001.”
Cousins was later asked to elaborate on his answer. In his response, he talked about respecting other people’s concerns. He talked about how he personally wants to handle the pandemic: “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.”
The quarterback’s seemingly cavalier perspective does relate to a survival-of-the-fittest approach. This Darwinian theory is often applied only to physical attributes, but the ability to maintain a positive outlook also applies. As he clearly states: “I’m going to be OK. You know, even if I die. I kind of have peace about that.”
Cousins was later asked if he would retract this statement considering 185,000 people had already passed away from the United States virus. He did do a retraction; instead, he opted to clarify his intent further:
I have peace. I don’t believe that 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. I trust the Lord to handle things. If something happens, I trust Him to have a plan and purpose and to use even a pain, a setback, adversity, to use that to help grow me and teach me more about Him.
Cousins Consideration
Cousins has expressed that wearing a mask and social distancing has nothing to do with protecting himself. He explained that he partakes in those practices out of courtesy for others, “There’s plenty of reasons to wear a mask, social distance and be very vigilant to help stop the spread of the virus.”
To many, Cousins’ comments seem extremely insensitive to others who have lost loved ones to the virus. While he has not retracted his statements, he did clarify what he meant. Since he declared his faith in God, he is unlikely to disregard those whose lives the virus has taken and their loved ones.
He is taking COVID-19 seriously by following the CDC guidelines of wearing a mask and social distancing. Cousins is doing his part to help stop the spread.
Written by Joseph Nelson
Co-Written and Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
ESPN: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins clarifies ‘if I die, I die’ comment on coronavirus
CNN: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins embraces Darwinian view on Covid-19, saying ‘If I die, I die’
Inside the Vikings: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Clarifies Viral Comments On COVID-19, Masks
Featured Image by Keith Allison Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons License
Inline Image by AlphaDog82 Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons License
