Eric Adams says banning Kyrie Irving from the ‘unfair’ Barclays won’t change the rule

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday agreed with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who said it “doesn’t make perfect sense” that Nets star Kyrie Irving could not play at Barclays Center while visiting players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 — but they warned they may Changing the rule sends a ‘wrong message’.

After a press conference about City budget for 2023Adams told reporters he was “struggling” with an aspect of a local vaccination law that allows players to be kept inside sports stadiums but prevents athletes who live in the five boroughs from entering their home yards, while declining to reveal whether he would fix it.

First of all, I think the rule is unfair. “I think we’re telling out-of-town athletes they can come in and not get vaccinated, and yet New York athletes should be vaccinated,” Adams said at City Hall in response to a reporter’s question about Silver’s comments.

“I think that’s unfair,” said the mayor.

Adams joked that a Boston Celtics fan must have created the rule, while also expressing concern that its modification would send “mixed messages.”

“I’m really apprehensive about sending the wrong message. Locking this city down again keeps me up at night, the message has been put in place, the rule has been put in place, to start changing it now, I think it’s going to send mixed messages,” he said.

“I’m struggling with this, just to be honest with you,” the mayor added.

Pressed by a reporter to decide whether to modify the mandate he had inherited from his predecessor but in control, Adams laughed and moved on to the next question.

under Key to NYC Program in New York City – announce last summer by former mayor Bill de Blasio And keep it Adams Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required to enter many types of indoor venues, including restaurants, bars, cinemas, and sports venues.

Exceptions are made to members of professional sports teams who do not live in New York City, as well as non-resident artists.

To comply with the regulation, Irving, 29, is a seven-time NBA All-Star You have not received a COVID-19 vaccine He does not play in his team’s home games, which are held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The nets start in December He began to let Irving He plays in the Nets Road Games, having initially prevented him from working as a part-time player.

Earlier Wednesday, Silver questioned the logic behind the vaccine mandate component that would prevent Irving from playing in more than half of the team’s games.

“This New York law, and strange to me, is that it only applies to local players,” Silver He said on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

He added: “I think if this rule is ultimately about protecting the people in the arena, then it doesn’t make sense to me that an unprotected guest player would play at Barclays but the host player can’t.” “For me, that’s why I should take a look at this law.”

After stressing the importance of vaccination against COVID-19, Silver raised the possibility of de Blasio’s successor modifying city rules.

So while, again, my personal view is that people should be vaccinated and strengthened, I can imagine a scenario where Brooklyn, as part of New York City, with a new mayor out of place now, Eric Adams, when the law was set, and I can see He decides to change along the way and I would say there is no longer a requirement to have a mandatory vaccination, as I said, especially one that only affects home players,” he said.

Along with the indoor vaccine mandate, Sun de Blasio Compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations for private sector workers. that rule Entered into force on December 27And Adams announced days later that he was keeping it in place.

Silver’s comments come after the window The director-general said last week that he was “optimistic”. The star keeper will soon be allowed to play in home games.