It seems that every week, there is a new development in the Kyrie Irving saga for the Brooklyn Nets. His refusal to get vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus has led to a litany of issues for the team.
However, to kick off 2022, the Nets ended his suspension from the team and have allowed him to compete in Nets road games, since the New York City vaccine mandate does not allow for him to play in home games in Brooklyn. However, a resolution for that disallowance may have been revealed.
Today (Jan. 12), the New York Daily News reported that the Brooklyn Nets could simply pay a fine to the City of New York for each of their home games to allow Kyrie to play. When former mayor Bill de Blasio signed executive order for the vaccine mandate, he included cash penalties for noncompliance.
In the case of the first offense, the Nets would simply be issued a warning. Then, repeated offenses would start to warrant fines, where the Nets would have to pay $1,000 for the second offense, $2,000 for the third and from the fourth offense on, they would pay $5,000 for each additional one.
So, after paying a total of $3,000 for the first three offenses, the Nets would pay $5,000 for each time Kyrie plays a home game, in which they have 20 more for the rest of the regular season.
This seems like a small price to pay to allow their stubborn franchise star to play for them, considering they pay a majority of their roster several millions of dollars per year. Ultimately, their willingness to pay these fines would come down to Kyrie's continued refusal for the vaccine and the organization prioritizing winning.
Do you think the Nets should go through with this idea?
[Via]