Irving misses practice due to vaccine protocols
Kyrie Irving didn’t practice with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, again remaining away from the team amid questions about his availability to play in New York because of the city’s vaccine mandate.
Coach Steve Nash said he had no update about the status of his AllStar guard.
“We support him, we’re here for him. When things change and there’s a resolution, we’re here for him,” Nash said.
Irving hasn’t said if he has been vaccinated against COVID-19, asking for privacy when pressed about his status during the team’s media day on Sept. 27. He wasn’t with his teammates that day at Barclays Center, instead appearing via Zoom.
New York has a mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for athletes who play in or practice in the city.
The Nets held training camp last week in San Diego, with Irving present and practicing, and they ran their first practice at their training facility in Brooklyn on Tuesday with everyone except Irving.
Nash said he wasn’t concerned about not being able to have his full team together, two weeks before the Nets play the NBA’s season-opening game at the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Soccer
Steve Baldwin resigned as CEO and managing partner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit in the wake of coach Richie Burke’s firing following a harassment investigation.
Baldwin said in a statement he decided to resign at the request of players and to avoid being a distraction.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for me,” Baldwin said. “I have no doubt made some mistakes, but my effort and focus were always on building a professional experience for our players.”
Burke’s firing was the latest in a string of scandals to hit the league in recent months. Mostly recently, the league was rocked by sexual harassment and misconduct allegations involving longtime coach Paul Riley, a situation that prompted Commissioner Lisa Baird to resign Friday.
Baldwin said team President Ben Olsen now has full authority over club operations. Baldwin did not say whether he would sell his controlling interest in the club.
Burke was fired after a Washington Post report detailed verbal and emotional abuse of players and the NWSL held a formal investigation. The Spirit were also sanctioned by the league.
Golf KOEPKA, DECHAMBEAU TO FACE OFF >>
Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau will finally get their match, even if it’s just 12 holes.
After butting heads in a dispute driven largely on social media for two years, Koepka and DeChambeau will face each other in the latest edition of “Capital One’s The Match” the day after Thanksgiving at Wynn Golf Course on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Nov. 26 exhibition will be shown on TNT and give everyone plenty of time to relive their backand-forth that began at Liberty National in August 2019 and appeared to cool when they were teammates on the winning U.S. team at the Ryder Cup.
DeChambeau hinted at “something fun coming up here” during his news conference at the Ryder Cup. Koepka was asked about it two days later at his news conference and said: “I have no idea. I didn’t listen to the comment or hear what the said.”