Loe’s Japan concerns echoed
Tall Black Rob Loe left money on the table to cut his Japanese basketball deal short because of his concerns about the duty of care the league had for its athletes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
His stance has been backed up by a ‘‘chaotic’’ attempt at restarting the league last weekend and comments from a star American import who has also returned home amid anxieties similar to Loe’s.
Loe was playing in the Japan league’s second division for the Kagawa Five Arrows, coached by ex-Tall Blacks mentor Paul Henare, during his off-season from the Australian National Basketball League.
But he returned to New Zealand last week and told Stuff he had enough concerns around the way the Japanese leagues were dealing with the Covid-19 situation to essentially turn his back on vital additional income. Since Loe’s departure the league announced a suspension of play – though did make a troubled attempt at a resumption last weekend.
‘‘At the time it was one of the only leagues in the world still playing. They were behind closed doors but they weren’t talking about shutting it down,’’ Loe told Stuff. ‘‘We played two games and heard some other teams had bailed on games because some of their guys were sick. But there was nothing from the league, no mandate, nothing around if players get sick.
‘‘Japan is a very clean and well-run country, but they had obviously decided not to test as many people. That was what I was reading. It was kind of scary to know you might contract something and never learn about it. It just felt like there was a need to come back just to protect myself and my career.’’
Asked if his concerns were more around the Japanese league or the country in general, Loe said: ‘‘Probably more the league not wanting to protect the players. Mostly it was just me wanting to protect myself and my family.’’
With Japan due to host the Olympics in Tokyo beginning July 24 there have been major concerns around the country’s unwillingness to postpone the Games given the global disruption being suffered amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The IOC yesterday finally took the lead on the matter, confirming that scenarios were being worked through that would allow for the Games to be pushed back to a later date. It’s understood any decision on a postponement has to be a joint one between the host nation and the Games body.
ESPN has reported that Jeff Ayres, the No 31 pick in the 2009 draft and a six-year NBA veteran, had decided to return to the US from Japan because of his concerns around how the league and his team, the Shiga Lakestars, were handling the coronavirus situation.
Following what the Japan Times called a ‘‘chaotic’’ weekend of games, Japan’s B League announced a further postponement of the season until at least April 1. On Saturday, a game between the Levanga Hokkaido and Kawasaki Brave Thunders was called off when three Levanga players were judged to have a fever,
On the same day, three Lakestars players (two imports and one Japanese national) opted out of their game because of anxieties over the virus.
On Sunday, the Utsunomiya
Brex-Chiba Jets Funabashi game was cancelled due to a referee’s fever, while a second division game in Tokyo was delayed 90 minutes by a television crew member’s illness after returning from the previous night’s game.
‘‘I decided not to practise or play due to concern regarding how the league, and my team specifically, was doing to keep players safe,’’ Ayres, who leads the Japan league in rebounding, told ESPN. ‘‘I felt we were putting ourselves at risk.’’
Ayres, whose wife is eight months pregnant with their third child, told ESPN he felt the league did not have players’ best interests at heart.
‘‘Being able to come home was a big deal for me,’’ added Ayres. ‘‘The league wasn’t doing anything to prevent us from getting sick and had no procedures in place for what would happen if someone contracted the virus. My team in particular was not taking any of the measures that were recommended, such as taking players’ temperatures daily, until it was already too late.
‘‘The league was pressuring players to play in games due to pressure from sponsors, and my team was being dismissive of our concerns.’’
Ayers also told ESPN he believed the Olympics might be influencing decisions among sports in Japan.
‘‘They need to show people that Japan is safe so they could get tourism going again. They kept saying they have this contained. How do you know that when you don’t have enough tests to test people? The numbers say you don’t know who has it and where.’’