NEWSLETTER
This morning, the Brooklyn Nets have determined that one of their stars will not be allowed to join the team until he is deemed eligible to be a full participant following local COVID-19 protocols in New York, where the Nets play.
Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck shared a release from the Nets with a statement from General Manager Sean Marks this morning.
Wow. pic.twitter.com/ybBxAqrm06
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) October 12, 2021
Irving has been absent from the Nets training camp and practices due to the City of New York’s mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for athletes who play or practice in the city. You can find more information on the full/updated NBA COVID rules right here.
And here’s what Eli wrote when the locale news first dropped.
According to the report, players who play in locales that have a vaccine mandate and miss games due to not being vaccinated will not be paid for the games they miss.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” Mike Bass, the NBA’s executive vice president of communications, said in a statement Wednesday morning. Both San Francisco and New York have such mandates in place, which would affect players who play for the Warriors, Knicks, and Nets. Visiting players are exempt from the local mandates.
Although Irving could practice and play with the Nets on the road without getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Nets’ GM Sean Marks has decided that Irving will not be with the team until he becomes eligible to be a full participant of the team, which would require Irving to get vaccinated.
Update (Michael): Just through I’d add some additional context that shook out after we initially published this post. It seems the decision was made by GM Sean Marks and team governor Joe Tsai. Or, at least, they’re the ones taking the responsibility, which is the right call.
Nets GM Sean Marks tells reporters that the group is “not looking for partners who will be part-time.” He adds it won’t be fair to the group or to Kyrie Irving. Ultimately, Marks said the decision was made by himself and team governor Joe Tsai.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) October 12, 2021
