New Rule For Unvaxxed Athletes Spurs Outrage Among NYC Workers

NEW YORK, NY — Kyrie Irving and other unvaccinated athletes can again play ball in New York City after Mayor Eric Adams issued a new executive order that's left city workers, union leaders and some elected officials livid.

Adams announced Thursday a new rule extending to unvaccinated professional city athletes and performers the right, previously granted only to visiting players or performers, to perform in New York City venues.

"We were treating our performers differently because they lived and played for home teams— it’s not acceptable," said the mayor.

"This exemption has been putting our sports teams at a self-imposed competitive disadvantage."

Celebrity author Stephen King had a different take.

"NY Mayor lifts vaccine mandates for famous people," King tweeted.

The new ruling puts an end to protests raised over Irving — whose unvaccinated status kept him on the sidelines of Brooklyn Nets home games while unvaccinated fans were allowed to cheer in the stands — who can now hit the court at the Barclays Center.

It also comes before the season's start for the Yankees and Mets in April. Major League Baseball reportedly has the lowest vaccination rate in men's major professional sports.

The mayor compared the new order to lifting the indoor venue mandate, arguing it was a step toward reopening New York City's economy.

"We're talking about a small number of people," Adams said of those affected by the executive order, "that are having a major impact on our economy."

But elected officials and unions were quick to point out that the rules create an exception for performers and athletes that was not afforded to city workers facing similar vaccine mandates.

Just last month, the city terminated about 1,400 public employees — mostly new hires — who refused to get vaccinated and whom Adams said he does not plan to hire back.

The news rankled with Pat Lynch, president of the NYPD union that represents approximately 24,000 officers.

"If the mandate isn’t necessary for famous people, then it’s not necessary for the cops who are protecting our city in the middle of a crime crisis," the Police Benevolent Association president said.

The United Federation of Teachers — the union for New York City's 190,000 public school educators — also demanded the mayor reconsider his stance.

"If the rules are going to be suspended, particularly for people with influence, then the UFT and other city unions are ready to discuss how exceptions could be applied to city workers," the union said in a statement.

Union leaders were joined by City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, among elected officials who called out the discrepancy.

"This exemption sends the wrong message that higher-paid workers and celebrities are being valued as more important than our devoted civil servants, which I reject," the speaker said in a statement.

"This is a step away from following sensible public health-driven policies that prioritize equity."

But Adams argued the mandate for city workers prioritized advice from health officials, who said it should remain in place until coronavirus numbers decrease, and promised the city would "continue to push" athletes to get vaccinated.

The mayor also pushed back on the idea that the executive order created a "carve out" for performers and athletes.

"This carve-out already existed," Adams said. "It was unfair to New Yorkers. We are correcting that."