Sports

Former West Virginia Football Player Says Coach Forced Him To Get Vaccinated Then Benched Him

#College Football
by
Tyler Sumpter West Virginia Football

Nov 20, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers place kicker Tyler Sumpter (35) punts the ball during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.


Could Tyler Sumpter be kicking or punting in the NFL right now had it not been for West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and the COVID-19 vaccine?

That’s the question that Sumpter, who played his final season for the Mountaineers in 2021, asked in a now-viral social media post on Thursday afternoon.

In the post, Sumpter alleges that Brown, who initially recruited Sumpter to Troy and coached at West Virginia from 2019-2024, pressured him into taking the vaccine and then proceeded to bench him even after he complied.

Did Neal Brown Bench West Virginia Specialist Tyler Sumpter Out Of Spite?

According to Brown’s post on X, he won both the starting kicking and punting job heading into the 2021 season, which was his sixth season of college football.

However, “Coach Neal Brown told me I’d lose my kicking job if I didn’t get the COVID vaccine. I felt backed into a corner, so I got vaccinated to keep my opportunity,” Sumpter wrote.

“Then he never gave me my kicking job back,” the post continues. “I made a permanent medical decision because I believed it was the only way to keep chasing my dream. Instead, I lost the opportunity anyway.

“I’ll always wonder if that season could have led to the NFL. Now I have to live with a decision I felt pressured into making – and worry about my health every day. Thanks a lot Neal Brown.”

Sumpter’s former teammate Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who spent three seasons with the New York Giants, is skeptical.

Sumpter was 3-of-4 on field goal attempts for the Mountaineers the season prior, with a long of 36. In three seasons at Troy, he made 39-of-51 attempts (76.4%) with a long of 50. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s starting kicker in 2021, the appropriately named Casey Legg, made 19-of-23 attempts (82.6%).

Did Neal Brown Ruin Tyler Sumpter’s Career Over COVID Vaccine?

It’s impossible to say whether Sumpter actually lost the starting kicking job due to his stance on vaccination. After all, he did keep the starting punting job, booting 52 balls with an average of 43.5 yards.

So it seems a bit absurd to think that Brown would only bench Sumpter at one position if he felt so strongly about the situation.

It’s also kind of tough to believe that Sumpter would be in the NFL had he kicked that season. The overwhelming majority of NFL starting kickers went undrafted, and teams are constantly holding tryouts for kickers.

If Sumpter had the ability, you’d think that a team would find him.

But he clearly blames Brown for the whole situation, whether his teammates feel the same way or not.