NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams signaled Wednesday he may soon modify the city’s pandemic protocols so that unvaccinated professional athletes in the Big Apple can play home games again, opening the door to a major policy shift as the start of baseball season looms less than a month away.
“We are going to continue to peel back,” Adams said at an unrelated press conference in Queens when asked how much longer he plans to block unvaccinated players on city sports teams from playing at their home stadiums.
Still, Adams — who rescinded the city’s Key2NYC vaccine mandate for indoor activities like dining last week — stressed he won’t be influenced by concerns from individual players or teams.
“I‘m not going to be rushed based on a season schedule. I’m going to do this right for the people of this city, and I’m not focused on one individual. I’m focused on 9 million people,” Adams said.
Athletes on New York teams who have refused to get their shots are currently barred from playing home games due to the private employer mandate, which requires all employees of city-based businesses to be vaccinated. They used to also be prohibited from playing home games due to the now-rescinded Key2NYC program, which covered gyms and fitness centers.
Unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving’s inability to play at Barclays Center due to the pandemic restrictions has been a point of contention for months — but the April 7 return of Major League Baseball to the city has brought the issue to a fever pitch in the past few days.
As first reported by the New York Daily News on Tuesday, unvaccinated Mets and Yankees players — of which there are believed to be several — will, like Irving, be unable to play home games due to the private employer mandate.
Adams, an avowed Mets fan, said he plans to consult with MLB brass and his public health team to figure out a “solution” to the private employer mandate conundrum over the next few weeks as baseball opening day draws closer.
“We are going to do an analysis,” the mayor said. “Baseball season is not tomorrow. It’s not next week. We are going to work this out, where we will ensure the safety of New Yorkers without continuing the spread of COVID. I’m looking forward to speaking to Major League Baseball as we put our heads together with our medical team and figure out how we come up with a solution here. That’s my goal.”
While baseball season nears, Irving is running out of time to play home games in Brooklyn, with the regular NBA season slated to end April 10.
