ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting the details of the NBA's new COVID-19 protocols, and the punishments for failing to adhere to them, in anticipation of the season starting on Dec. 22.
Outlined in a memo sent to all 30 organizations, the league for the first time, provided details of the protocols they deemed essential in limiting the spread of coronavirus during the season. Among the most noteworthy, is the allowance for players and staff to leave hotels during road trips. A compromise worked out between the players association and the league office, the pre-approval of three restaurants in each market was a critical point for many around the league, as players wanted to avoid being sequestered while traveling.
As the NBA made clear, however, failure to follow the protocols would lead to substantial punishment. Among the penalties threatened, are not only potential fines and suspensions for individual players found in violation of the policies, but the loss of draft picks for organizations who fail to report rule breaking. While the NFL instituted similar punishments, the loss of draft compensation would be severely felt by an NBA team, due to the limited number of players drafted into the league in comparison to the NFL.
While the memo settles most of the outstanding issues between the league and the players association ahead of the season's commencement, the two have yet to settle upon a resolution for how a potential vaccine for COVID-19 would be handled. Though it is unclear if it would be mandated for players in order to participate in games, the league would almost certainly welcome the issue as representing a potential end to the pandemic.
For an association desperate to return to a form of normalcy, the extreme measures they've laid out, are simply the cost of doing business.
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