COVID-19 is spiking in several states just as sports are gearing up to resume play, forcing leagues to take special precautions to protect players and staff.
Those age 60 and older, of course, are believed to be more susceptible to severe illness should they catch the coronavirus. Coaches in several leagues fall under this category, a major concern for some as cases continue to rise.
But age apparently won’t be the only reason a coach is “red-flagged” ahead of the NBA’s resumption of play in Orlando, Fla. according to Dallas Mavericks coach and National Basketball Coaches Association president Rick Carlisle.
“Everybody goes through a screening process, but we’ve been assured by the league that no one will be red-flagged from going to Orlando based on age alone,” Carlisle said, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon. “That was a very positive thing for us to hear, but as I said, everybody in all 22 markets — all staff, all players, everybody — goes through a significant screening process. We’ll see who ends up going, not going, etc. But we were very encouraged to hear that age alone would not be something that would keep you from going to Orlando.”
Phew.
That’s certainly good news for coaches like the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich, the Houston Rockets’ Mark D’Antoni and New Orleans’ Alvin Gentry, assuming they have no other underlying issues, of course. D’Antoni and Genry already have confirmed they expect to be in Orlando to resume the season, per McMahon’s report.
