There’s nothing official about the Nets vaccination status, other than Sean Marks statement Tuesday that a “couple” of players wouldn’t be cleared if the season opened this week. Of course, there was the report by Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports that Kyrie Irving is one of that “couple.”
Now, Matt Sullivan, author “Can’t Knock the Hustle” on the Nets rebuild, writes in Rolling Stone that Irving will not seek a religious exemption from the New York and NBA rules. Those rules, in effect since earlier this month, prohibit unvaccinated players from playing, practicing or participating in “team activities” within the city. (The Knicks are fully vaccinated.)
Sullivan reports that instead Irving wants to wait out the process, hoping he — and others —can get the league to back down or modify its position. Sullivan quotes Irving’s aunt Tyki Irving, who essentially confirmed Irving’s status as unvaccinated, on his thinking…
“There are so many other players outside of him who are opting out, I would like to think they would make a way,” says Kyrie’s aunt, Tyki Irving, who runs the seven-time All-Star’s family foundation and is one of the few people in his regular circle of advisors. “It could be like every third game. So it still gives you a full season of being interactive and being on the court, but with the limitations that they’re, of course, oppressing upon you. There can be some sort of formula where the NBA and the players can come to some sort of agreement.”
Tyki Irving also told Sullivan a bit on her nephew’s position on vaccination and his feelings regarding the pressure that will now likely mount on him. Sullivan writes…
“He is going to try to figure that out as it comes, because it’s not religious-based, it’s moral-based,” says Irving’s aunt Tyki. “You may have to sit on the sideline, you might not have to be in the arena during this. If it’s that freaking important to get a vaccine that, hell, it’s still not preventing the Covid” — which it is — “then I’d rather them working it out that way than to say, ‘Hey, if you don’t get the vaccine, then you can’t be a part of the franchise that you fuckin’ helped build.’”
Sullivan wrote that a spokeswoman for Irving declined to respond to a list of questions regarding his vaccination and playing status, and Irving did not immediately respond to a message from Rolling Stone. The Nets have steadily declined comment on the status of any individual’s vaccination, citing HIPAA privacy laws.
Irving of course is not alone. Shams Charania has reported that 10 percent of the roughly 500 players who make up the NBA remain unvaccinated. Along with Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors, Irving is the most high profile NBA player unvaccinated. On Friday, the NBA declined to grant Wiggins an exemption on religious grounds.
On Tuesday, Marks wouldn’t comment on who has gotten vaccinated, but expressed confidence by Opening Night the issue will be resolved.
“I won’t get into who it is, but we feel confident in the following several days before camp everybody would be allowed to participate and so forth,” said Marks in what appeared to be a carefully worded statement. He did not say that all the players would be vaccinated.
- The NBA’s Anti-Vaxxers Are Trying to Push Around the League—And It’s Working – Matt Sullivan – Rolling Stone
SOURCE: NetsDaily – All Posts – Read entire story here.