New York City's vaccine mandate for athletes was set to be dropped on Thursday, according to multiple reports, but Mayor Eric Adams and the city's health officials had insisted in recent weeks that no such change was in the offing?
So what accounted for the apparent change of course?
While it's possible that the prospect of the Brooklyn Nets entering the playoffs without the services of star point guard Kyrie Irving for home games played a role, it seems more likely that the Nets and Irving may owe a debt of gratitude to the deep pockets of Mets owner Steve Cohen.
According to a Wednesday report by Sally Goldenberg of Politico, Cohen donated a tidy $1.5 million to a political action committee backing Adams in last year's Democratic Primary. Cohen's donation was previously reported, but it seems especially relevant in light of Wednesday's developments, with several users seeming to connect the dots on social media.
As well, former New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has been lobbying Adams on behalf of Nets owner Joe Tsai, per Goldenberg -- but those efforts didn't seem to amount to much since Adams took office in January.
Despite much handwringing over the mandate upon his inauguration -- with Irving and the Nets often at the center of the debate -- Adams had previously declined to roll back the rule, which he inherited from predecessor Bill de Blasio.
But with MLB Opening Day looming on April 7, and two or three Yankees stars -- apparently including Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo -- rumored to be unvaccinated, and perhaps as many as 10 Mets players still not inoculated, according to Audacy Sports insider Jon Heyman, Adams seems to have had a change of heart, one that conveniently enough will work to the benefit of Cohen, presumably one of his wealthiest and most generous patrons.
Jay Varma, a former Covid-19 adviser to City Hall, told Politico that the move was "arbitrary."
“Basically it sends a message that this is an arbitrary rule — that if you’re rich enough and powerful enough and high profile enough, that you don’t have to play by the same rules as everyone else,” Varma added.
But the story also noted the inconsistency in the de Blasio-era policy, since it only applied to players on New York City teams, and not for athletes on visiting teams.
In any event, Irving will presumably return to his team on a full-time basis, with his Barclays Center season debut likely set for Sunday vs. the Charlotte Hornets. And Judge, who coincidentally has become something of a Nets fan in recent years, will no longer have to sidestep questions about his status. For his part, the star slugger offered up yet another seemingly cheeky response when asked about the news on Wednesday night, saying he was happy -- for Irving.
Judge, Rizzo, Irving and any unvaccinated Mets players can probably thank Cohen for his part in the policy reversal. For the relatively affordable price of $1.5 million, the billionaire hedge fund tycoon may have bought a favorable policy outcome with apparent implications for one of his most beloved assets.
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