Cardozo Athletes Protest COVID-Related Sports Restrictions

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Legendary Cardozo High School basketball coach, Ron Naclerio, trekked from Bayside to Brooklyn's Barclays Center last weekend to protest the city's COVID-related sports restrictions.

As part of the city's lengthy list of Public School Athletic League, or PSAL, COVID guidelines — which include official regulations on handshakes and coin tosses — student athletes, all of whom need to be vaccinated, can't compete in front of fans, including scouts; a regulation that some athletes and coaches say puts public school students at a disadvantage for college scholarships.

“If it’s to keep everybody safe, why is everybody allowed to go to a Knicks game or a Nets game?” Naclerio rhetorically asked CBSNY of the PSAL fan guidelines as he stood in front of the Barclays Center, where the Nets have been playing home games to vaccinated indoor crowds.

Naclerio told the news outlet that the "mindboggling" fan rule puts public school athletes at a disadvantage for scholarships, especially as compared to private school athletes, who aren't beholden to the same regulation.

“The Catholic schools can [have scouts]. They’ve had college coaches in in September. They’ve had college coaches in in October. Public schools, their kids, no chance,” Naclerio said.

While basketball games don't start until November, practice is already underway, and Naclerio said that's actually the prime time for recruiting, which many of his athletes are missing out on.

Yianni Mousio, a Cardozo senior and varsity basketball player told CBSNY that it "feels great" to be back on the court, but he's worried about the impact that current PSAL guidelines could have on his chance of a college scholarship — which he's hoping for.

The Department of Education did not respond directly to Patch's questions about how the no-fan rule might disadvantage public school athletes from athletic scholarships.

The agency, however, told Patch that it credits the safety of NYC's public schools and the return to competitive athletics on its "multi-layered approach to health and safety."

"We are constantly evaluating our spectator polices based on the current healthcare landscape," the DOE said, adding that while no changes are in the works right, the agency "will continue to assess our health and safety measures and make adjustments as needed."