Kyrie Irving Lands in Health & Safety Protocols, One Day After Nets Agree To Bring Him Back

 

Well, who could have seen this one coming? Less than 24 hours after the Brooklyn Nets made the controversial decision to remove their ban on Kyrie Irving, the unvaccinated star has tested positive for COVID-19 and has joined the Nets' long list of inactive players on the health and safety protocols list. 

Kyrie Irving has now also entered health and safety protocols, the Nets announced.

Just welcomed back Friday, Irving hasn't appeared in a game this season for the Nets because of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. pic.twitter.com/E0WXi71yQ6

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 18, 2021

Under the New York City vaccine mandate, Irving is unable to play in Brooklyn home games due to his refusal to receive the Covid vaccine. But after originally being unwilling to allow him to join the team on a "part-time basis" to play in road games, the Nets on Friday afternoon announced that they had agreed to bring Irving back.  It was in response to their rapidly growing list of players (12) out of action, most of them due to Covid protocols. 

Now Kyrie will join that very same list. Being unvaccinated while the league's players are dropping like flies to the widely circulating and highly contagious omicron variant of Covid, a result such as this could have naturally been expected. He is now the 9th Brooklyn player out due to Covid. 

Earlier on Saturday, Kevin Durant had also joined the growing list of Nets players now unavailable for duty due to health & safety protocols. 

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports