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Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Buffalo Bills wide receivers Cole Beasley and Isaiah McKenzie revealed Thursday they were fined for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. McKenzie posted a photo of the letter that NFL officials sent him, which detailed multiple violations of the protocol. In a subsequent tweet, the wideout said he was fined $14,650.
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"They got me!" McKenzie wrote on Twitter. "@NFL you win!"
Beasley didn't disclose how much the league fined him, only saying on social media that he was disciplined for failing to wear a mask for "literally five steps" from the entry door to the locker room after wearing one "that whole day."
"It's unfortunate when players get fined," Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters Thursday. "That being said, these rules have been agreed upon and in place and well-communicated for some time.
"And so it's important for us that we focus on being safe and healthy -- that's No. 1 and that's always been No. 1 -- and then No. 2 is doing our best to stay focused on the goal and the purpose of why we're here, which is to win football games."
According to the NFL's letter to McKenzie, the fifth-year wideout was fined for failing to wear a mask in the team facility on multiple occasions Wednesday.
In addition to that violation, the league said it sent a written warning to him July 27 saying that future violations of the protocol would lead to "increased discipline, including for conduct detrimental."
Under the NFL's COVID-19 policy, unvaccinated players are required to wear masks throughout the team facility.
The COVID-19 violations come two days after the Bills sent six players home who were deemed close contacts to a vaccinated staff member who tested positive for the coronavirus. The NFL ruled Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Star Lotulelei and Vernon Butler as close contacts, meaning they must remain away from the facility for five days.
Buffalo also sent Matt Milano and A.J. Klein home as a precaution, but neither were designated close contacts by the league and returned to practice Wednesday.
Beasley has been a vocal opponent to the NFL's COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated players and tweeted his support of McKenzie on Thursday.
"Don't worry they got me too," Beasley wrote on Twitter. "But I was wearing a mask when I was in close contact with fully vaxxed trainer who tested positive and still got sent home. So what's the point of the mask anyways?
"Meanwhile I'm here still testing negative and can't come back. Make it make sense."
McDermott announced that about 81% of the team is fully vaccinated. The Bills have put at least three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list because of positive test results this preseason.
