Kyrie Irving’s COVID Violation to Cost Him $50K Fine, Over $800K in Salary
Written by SOURCE on January 15, 2021
Kyrie Irving is facing another fine from the NBA—this time for breaching the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Byron Spruell, NBA president of league operations, announced on Friday that Irving will have to pay $50,000 and quarantine for five days, ESPN reports.
Additionally, Irving “will forfeit more than $400,000 in salary per game for those missed during quarantine at a rate of 1/81.6 of his season salary,” Marc Stein of the New York Times tweeted.
Stein noted that, in total, between the fine and lost salary, Irving will lose over $800,000.
According to a statement from the NBA, Irving violated the league’s restrictions by going to a private indoor party last weekend, with the release mentioning that the league prohibits athletes from “attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments.”
Irving could return to play on Saturday if he keeps testing negative for the virus.
In addition to being fined $25,000 for not talking to the media in December, Irving recently missed four Nets games, citing “personal reasons.” During his break, the NBA announced it was investigating footage of Irving being at his sister’s birthday party, where no one was wearing masks. While it wasn’t initially clear when the celebration happened, it seems the video proved he had violated the league’s COVID protocols.
