The Washington Wizards have announced that Bradley Beal will be missing the team’s preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets. Beal is reportedly going through the league’s health and safety protocols. The news came out a day before the Wizards’ game. The team will be going against the Hornets on October 10, 2022. Reportedly, the NBA fans have been giving mixed reactions to the league still following the COVID protocols.

The NBA league imposed a certain set of rules for the teams after the outbreak of coronavirus in 2020. The league issued health and safety protocols to every team that were to be strictly followed. Disciplinary actions were taken against teams who failed to follow the guidelines. Additionally, every NBA player had to take the vaccine to take part in the games. If the player had to sit out of any games due to violation of COVID-19 rules, they wouldn’t be paid for the games they missed. However, several NBA players refused to comply with the rule of mandatory vaccination. Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving had to sit out of more than 50 games in season 2021-2022 as he was adamant to remain unvaccinated.

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After the Nets faced 11 consecutive losses in the previous season, Irving was asked if he felt any guilt about it. The Nets star responded that he felt no guilt over his decision and indicated that he had no plans to get the vaccination. Similarly, Wizards player Bradley Beal too was among the NBA players who passed on the mandatory vaccination rule.

Bradley Beal undergoes NBA COVID-19 protocols

During the Washington Wizards media day of NBA season 2021-22, Bradley Beal revealed why he didn’t want to get vaccinated. On September 27, 2021, Beal told NBC Sports that he didn’t feel pressured to get the vaccination. The Wizards star believed that no one could ‘pressure’ someone to make a decision that they didn’t want to. However, according to CBS Sports, Beal received his first dose for COVID-19 after Washington D.C. made the vaccination mandatory.

Since the Wizards announced the news, NBA fans have been giving several mixed reactions. While half of them felt that it was unnecessary, the other half spoke out in defense of the league’s decision to impose the rules. Let’s take a look at some of the tweets.

https://twitter.com/AktanE/status/1579143780711936000?s=20&t=DLG70Q5OufdK4W5tOWbrSg

As of now, Wizards fans are hoping the $251 million worth NBA star will not remain out of the court for too long. The Wizards are all set to go against the Indiana Pacers on October 20, two days after the regular season officially starts.

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Do you think COVID-19 protocols are still mandatory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!