Seth Udinski, FISM News
Over the weekend, Gonzaga University took away season ticket rights for one of its most influential players because he has refused to abide by the school’s mask mandates.
John Stockton is an NBA Hall of Fame point guard and heralded by many as one of the smartest men to ever play the game of basketball. He holds several personal records at Gonzaga from his stellar career with the school from 1980 to 1984 and is one of two players to have his jersey number retired by the university.
Despite his standing at the university, he revealed on Sunday that Gonzaga had revoked his season tickets after he refused to comply with the school’s mask mandates for fans.
He said in an interview with The Spokesman-Review,
Basically, it came down to, they were asking me to wear a mask to the games and being a public figure, someone a little bit more visible, I stuck out in the crowd a little bit. And therefore they received complaints and felt like from whatever the higher-ups — those weren’t discussed, but from whatever it was higher up — they were going to have to either ask me to wear a mask or they were going to suspend my tickets.
Gonzaga issued a statement through its athletic director, Chris Standiford, saying,
We will not speak to specific actions taken with any specific individuals. We take enforcement of COVID-19 health and safety protocols seriously and will continue to evaluate how we can best mitigate the risks posed by COVID-19 with appropriate measures. The recent decision to suspend concessions in McCarthey Athletic Center is an example of this approach. Gonzaga University places the highest priority on protecting the health and safety of students, employees and the community.
Stockton has made it clear that while he believes in personal choice to make an informed health decision, he personally disagrees with the use of the COVID-19 vaccine. He highlighted the reports of many people who have allegedly died from complications due to the vaccine, including athletes:
I think it’s highly recorded now, there’s 150 I believe now, it’s over 100 professional athletes dead – professional athletes – the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court.