NFL player deletes tweet mocking Dr. Fauci on unvaccinated statistics

An NFL player deleted a tweet that apparently was meant to mock Dr. Anthony Fauci and the statistics regarding the coronavirus among those who choose to remain unvaccinated.

USA Today sports race and inequality editor Mike Freeman was upset that Kyle Sloter, the practice squad quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, wasn't taking the statistics seriously enough.

"A backup quarterback for the Raiders, who has no history of fighting infectious diseases, in a tweet mocked vaccine data presented by Anthony Fauci, who is one of the world's experts," tweeted Freeman on Monday. "Then quickly deleted the tweet once called out on it. What a world we live in."

A screenshot of Sloter's tweet showed that it was simply a laughing face emoji character in response to a separate screenshot posted by Freeman of the latest vaccination stats.

The tweet from Freeman showed a screenshot of a CNN chyron summing up the statistics showing that the unvaccinated are eight times as likely to test positive, 41 times as likely to be hospitalized, and 57 times more likely to die compared to the unvaccinated.

The data cited by Fauci, the nation's foremost epidemiologist, came from a study of the effects of the pandemic in King County, Washington. Other studies have found that the unvaccinated had a death rate of 11 times higher than the vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the kerfuffle over his deleted tweet, Sloter has said previously that he is fully vaccinated. Other football players have been far more vocal against the vaccination rules implemented by the NFL, including wide receiver Cole Beasley of the Buffalo Bills.

Freeman was criticized last month for accusing the NFL of racism for implementing stricter rules against players taunting each other for the 2021 football season.

Here's more about the NFL and the coronavirus pandemic:

NFL season kicks off with new COVID-19 policies in placewww.youtube.com