The Brooklyn Nets maintained they used no resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed them for testing players for the coronavirus.
“As we learned NBA players on other teams had tested positive for COVID-19, we noticed that several of our players and staff had symptoms,” Mandy Gutmann, the BSE Global senior vice president of communication, said in a statement. “Based on this information, and the judgment that all of our players are subject to high exposure due to the close physical nature of basketball, the communal nature of teams and the possibility of an accelerated spread from team to team, our medical experts advised that our players get tested.”
“We sourced the tests through a private company and paid for them ourselves because we did not want to impact access to CDC’s public resources,” she added. “Using the test results, we were able to take immediate precautions and strictly isolate the players who tested positive. If we had waited for players to exhibit symptoms, they might have continued to pose a risk to their family, friends and the public.”
The lengthy statement came in response to criticism from those questioning why players had access to testing while sick people did not.
“We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick.”
We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested.
Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick. https://t.co/7uQlL3zc7Z
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 17, 2020
Four Nets players, including Kevin Durant, tested positive for the coronavirus. Over 8,000 people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus in the U.S., including almost 2,000 confirmed cases in New York state.
