NEW YORK — In one of his most controversial decisions to date, Mayor Eric Adams rolled back the COVID-19 mandate that prohibits unvaccinated professional athletes from playing home games in New York City — prompting some critics to point to the likelihood of more legal challenges and others to decry the move as fundamentally unfair.
Under Adams’ new policy, athletes and entertainers who are unvaccinated — like Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving — will be exempt from the ban. The mayor’s decision comes just two weeks before the baseball season begins and as the NBA is poised to roll into the playoffs.
Adams justified the move during a news conference at Citi Field, saying the mandate, as it was first implemented, was unfair to local athletes and performers because it exempted their out-of-town counterparts from the restriction, but not them.
