{"id":1740995,"date":"2022-11-16T06:30:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T11:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1740995"},"modified":"2022-11-16T10:32:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T15:32:56","slug":"jab-or-job-nba-refs-claim-they-were-fired-for-refusing-covid-vax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jab-or-job-nba-refs-claim-they-were-fired-for-refusing-covid-vax\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cJab or Job\u201d: NBA Refs Claim They Were Fired for Refusing COVID Vax"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjab-or-job-nba-refs-claim-they-were-fired-for-refusing-covid-vax%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1740995&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"speakable\">Three former NBA referees filed a lawsuit against the league on Saturday, claiming they were fired for refusing to receive the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/infectious-disease\/coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19 vaccinations<\/a> for religious reasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Kenny Mauer, Mark Ayotte and Jason Phillips filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, according to Reuters. The former referees allege the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/nba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBA improperly forced<\/a> them to comply with the vaccination policy and wrongly concluded their objections on religious grounds fell short of its &#8220;high standard&#8221; against getting the vaccination.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/640\/320\/Kenny-Mauer.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"NBA referee Ken Mauer at American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, 2017, in Dallas, Texas.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      NBA referee Ken Mauer at American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, 2017, in Dallas, Texas.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The NBA\u2019s &#8220;jab or job ultimatum&#8221; eventually led to their suspensions for the 2021-22 season, and they claim the league refused to reinstate them despite lifting the requirement for this season.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Had the NBA not taken upon itself to force faith-based conscientious objectors to adhere to secular norms, none of plaintiffs&#8217; complained-of injuries would have manifested,&#8221; the complaint read. &#8220;In sum: Plaintiffs were persecuted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/stephen-a-smith-blasts-jeff-bezos-amazons-role-kyrie-irving-saga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>STEPHEN A. SMITH BLASTS JEFF BEZOS OVER AMAZON&#8217;S ROLE IN KYRIE IRVING SAGA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/640\/320\/Mark-Ayotte.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"Mark Ayotte in action during the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic game at Barclays Center on Feb. 24, 2020, in New York City.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Mark Ayotte in action during the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic game at Barclays Center on Feb. 24, 2020, in New York City.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Mike Stobe\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/640\/320\/Jason-Phillips.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"Referees Jason Phillips and Mike Callahan before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Trail Blazers on May 20, 2019, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Referees Jason Phillips and Mike Callahan before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Trail Blazers on May 20, 2019, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Cameron Browne\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The NBA announced in August 2021 that it struck a deal with the National Basketball Referees Association on the issue. The league said at the time that any referees who had a documented medical or religious reason not to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/nyc-workers-fired-vaccine-mandate-blast-city-refusal-follow-court-order-destroying-lives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vaccinated may seek<\/a> an exemption. If there was no exemption, then an unvaccinated referee wouldn\u2019t be eligible to work games.<\/p>\n<p>The NBA\u2019s mandate covered coaches, support staff traveling with teams, locker room attendants and those working at the scorer\u2019s tables. Players were not forced to get vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>An NBA spokesman told Fox News Digital the league is in the process of reviewing the complaint.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/640\/320\/NBA-phone.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"National Basketball Association logo is displayed on a smartphone screen.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      National Basketball Association logo is displayed on a smartphone screen.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Budrul Chukrut\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&#038;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&#038;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mauer said he\u2019s been a referee for 35 years while Ayotte was refereeing for 17. Phillips was a referee for 19 years before being promoted to vice president of referee operations and a replay center principal.<\/p>\n<p><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three former NBA referees filed a lawsuit against the league on Saturday, claiming they were fired for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccinations for religious reasons.Kenny Mauer, Mark Ayotte and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1740998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1740998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1740995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1740995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}