New York City mayor Eric Adams once again told reporters on Tuesday morning that the City’s private sector mandate, which currently prohibits unvaccinated New York athletes like Kyrie Irving and any potentially unvaccinated Yankees or Mets to play in home games, will have to wait to be addressed, suggesting changes may not be coming any time soon.
The latest update was another maddening revelation for Keith McPherson, who went off on the nature of the mandate during Tuesday night’s show, as he prepares to continue to watch his Nets take the floor at the Barclays Center without Irving, while the visiting team can play their own unvaccinated players.
“Is there a different variant or version of COVID that only hits unvaccinated players that play for New York?” Keith said. “Because I’m pretty sure the rule says ‘visiting players are fine, they just have to test negative.’ Who came up with that?”
“How Is Kyrie Irving at the arena two weekends ago, unmasked and courtside, has been practicing with the team in Brooklyn, but can’t play at the Barclays Center?”
Now, with Opening Day just weeks away, the Yankees and Mets could be impacted next, as the mandate would also apply to those teams despite their outdoor venues. Under the current mandate, an unvaccinated player for a New York team could be in the stadium but not playing for their team, but unvaccinated opponents are able to play, as long as they are also not a New York squad (a la the Yankees hosting the Mets, or vice versa).
“This is rock dumb. This is stuck on stupid,” Keith said. “I understand if you are not mad yet. But you might be in a month if we’[re still stuck on stupid. If you care about the Yankees the way I care about the Yankees, or if you care about the Mets the way I care about the [Nets], they are being put at a competitive disadvantage because of stupidity. There is no real rhyme or reason here. There is no real science here.”
Despite Adams’ recent comments, Keith is convinced that the private sector mandate will be changed in time for baseball season, and in time for the Nets’ playoff run. The mandate is just too nonsensical to continue as is.
“Can you imagine Opening Day, Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo sitting in Legends, watching the Yankees run out onto the field, because there is a mandate in place saying they cant play, but a Boston player can come in just fine and compete against the Yankees unvaccinated?” Keith said. “There is no logic or science behind that. This will end by April 7. I understand Eric Adams came out and said ‘We have to wait.’ We’ll wait two weeks.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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