Brooklyn Nets Can Pay NYC a Nominal Fine to Make Vaccine Mandate Disappear for Kyrie Irving
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The Brooklyn Nets already caved by welcoming Kyrie Irving back to their team for road games and doing the same for home games seems like a very attainable feat.
New York City’s Covid vaccine mandate has barred the unvaxxed NBA superstar from entering Brooklyn’s home arena on game days. But according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the penalty for violating the mandate can easily be absorbed by Irving or the Nets.
The executive order signed by former mayor Bill de Blasio states the first offense for defying the mandate is a warning. The second offense is a $1,000 fine, the third is $2,000, the fourth is $5,000 and the fifth to infinity offenses are also $5,000.
While the average New Yorker might not want to risk a $5,000 fine to enter a city restaurant without being vaccinated, for Nets owner Joe Tsai, the chunk of change is pennies compared to his $8.8 billion net worth.
The biggest hurdle in choosing to pay the city off to get Irving back on the court will be the couple of days of backlash that undoubtedly comes with disregarding the vaccine ordinance.
But despite New York City’s mandate that bars Irving from playing in home games, unvaccinated players from other cities have been welcomed into the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden. And thousands of fans with vaccines that may have worn off are not subject to Covid testing and are able to move about the arena without a mask as long as they’re holding a beer.
The Nets originally decided to bar Irving from the team until he was compliant with New York City’s vaccine protocols. But after Covid ravaged their fully vaccinated roster, the organization reneged and welcomed Irving back to be a roadshow.
The Nets have already saved $400,000 for every home game this season that Irving missed, which can wind up totaling $16 million in savings from his salary. If the Nets choose to let Irving defy the vaccine mandate and play in home games for the playoffs, the incurred fines will max out at $68,000.
Kevin Durant will be 34 next season and considering his injury history, Brooklyn’s prized superstar might not have too many prime years left in his career. The Nets are a win-now team that can’t afford to wait and hope New York City’s vaccine mandate goes away, but they can afford to pay for it to go away now.
