We now have found out why National Basketball Association referee Ken Mauer of Saint Paul, Minnesota has not been on the court this season. It is because the 66-year-old is unvaccinated according to TMZ on Tuesday.
Mauer stated that all NBA officials were required to be vaccinated for the 2021-22 NBA season. The majority of officials agreed to be vaccinated even though some were initially hesitant. However, Mauer has refused vaccination because of religious beliefs.
Mauer is reportedly of the opinion that fetal tissue was used in the development of the vaccination. Even if this was true, he is putting others at risk by being unvaccinated.
What makes no sense however is that the NBA has a vaccination policy for referees but not players. Most NBA players are not required to be vaccinated to be on the court except in certain circumstances. Regions in the states of California and New York tend to have stiffer coronavirus rules than most other regions in the United States. For example, Kyrie Irving is not allowed to play home games with the Brooklyn Nets because he is unvaccinated. However, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently pointed out, the Knicks and Nets are able to host unvaccinated players from visiting teams.
Overall, Mauer has spent 33 seasons as a NBA referee, and has refereed 19 games in the NBA Finals. This is not the first time however he has been involved in controversy. In 2000, Mauer was convicted of tax evasion in an airline ticket scheme according to CBC Sports. He ended up serving five months in prison.
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