NBA tells players, coaches to act on booster shots

The NBA has raised the level of urgency regarding getting booster shots against the coronavirus, telling players and coaches that it is no longer advisable to wait before receiving the additional dose.

The booster shots should be received “as soon as possible, particularly in light of the current coronavirus situation and increasing cases,” the league told teams Friday in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Earlier in the week, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association said they were recommending the booster shots be received by those who are fully vaccinated, suggesting that it get done by Dec. 1 in most cases.

But with positivity rates rising in many areas of the country, and with the rate of COVID-19 community transmission in most NBA markets considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be “high” or “substantial,” the league and union felt the additional urgency is now warranted. The NBA has seen an increased positivity rate among vaccinated players, team staff and family members of late, which is consistent with the trends in many places around the nation.

At least eight players are known to currently be in the league’s health and safety protocols, meaning they are believed to have tested positive for the virus. Another who had been in the protocols, the Eagles’ Tobias Harris, played Thursday in his first game back since testing positive.

AAC commissioner ‘vigorously’ against P5 protection in CFP

American Athletic Conference

Commissioner Mike Aresco said Friday he will “vigorously” oppose a College Football Playoff expansion model that “protects” Power Five leagues with automatic access for only their champions.

“I don’t want to see a system that would reward privilege for the sake of privilege,” Aresco said.

The CFP management committee, comprised of 10 Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, met last week in Dallas to again discuss growing the playoff from its current four-team field.

A 12-team model was proposed in the summer that would include six guaranteed spots for the highest-ranked FBS conference champions and six at-large selections, with no limit on the number of teams a conference can have in the field.