Rudy Gobert almost single-handedly turned the basketball world on its head on Wednesday night. The All-Star center for the Utah Jazz was the first person in the league to test positive for COVID-19, setting off a chain reaction that involved the league postponing games for the foreseeable future as everyone tries to figure out the best way to proceed.
Gobert’s also come under fire in recent days. He mocked the policy the league put in place to create space between reporters and players to prevent the spread of the virus, while his reported carelessness in the locker room was attributed to one of his teammates, Donovan Mitchell, testing positive for coronavirus, too. Now, after all of this has happened, Gobert has finally taken to Instagram to speak out. He thanked those who have shown him support, offered up an apology, and made it clear that he hopes that his actions are taken as a warning about what could happen if people are not careful.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9pXSG8l_J6/
Here is what the big man wrote out:
I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support over the last 24 hours. I have gone through so many emotions since learning of my diagnosis…mostly fear, anxiety, and embarrassment.
The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected. I was careless and make no excuse. I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously. I will do whatever I can to support using my experience as way to educate others and prevent the spread of this virus .
I am under great care and will fully recover. Thank you again for all your support. I encourage everyone to take all of the steps to stay safe and healthy. Love.
To go along with Gobert’s hope that everyone uses this as a chance to learn, here’s a link to the Center for Disease Control’s website dedicated to providing information about coronavirus and the best steps you can take to protect yourselves and those in your community in the coming days and weeks.
