The Brooklyn Nets drew the ire of New York City mayor Bill de Blasio after testing their entire roster for coronavirus.
The Nets say some players and staff were exhibiting symptoms, which led to testing “through a private company.”
Forward Wilson Chandler also complained of facing discrimination once word got out that four of his teammates tested positive for COVID-19.
Per The Athletic:
Though they didn’t say the words, if their tone was an indicator during their conference call with reporters on Tuesday, general manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr want their players to be tested. They want to know where they stand. But on this one, their fame doesn’t seem to matter. Their standing doesn’t benefit them from the same plight the rest of California is facing with the shortage of COVID-19 tests.
“To be clear, ” Myers said, “we’re not any different than anybody.”
Who gets the tests, according to the CDC guidelines, is up to the judgment of the clinician. Since the tests are limited, the resident expert makes the call. In the case of the Jazz, it was deemed by the Oklahoma State Department of Health “a public health decision” to test the entire traveling party. Especially at the time, Oklahoma had low demand for testing. According to the COVID Tracking Project, the state has tested a total of 396 people even including the guests from Utah.
“It is frustrating, but it’s just the reality,” Kerr said. “We’re in the same boat as everybody. It’s very difficult to find a test in California and many places.”
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