NBA Reportedly Creating Hotline to Report Potential COVID-19 Protocol Violations

The NBA released a 113-page memo to teams on Tuesday highlighting the league's safety protocols in advance of the planned restart at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  

Adherence to those protocols will be strictly enforced, to the point that people will be able to call a hotline number to report any possible COVID-19 safety violation, per Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

All players, team staff and guests have to sign off on an agreement to follow all pre-arrival rules and NBA safety measures while at Walt Disney World, which will feature the remainder of the season beginning on July 30, per Charania.

Punishment for players who don't follow rules can consist of a warning, fine, suspension or campus ban, which would in essence be a season-long suspension.

Twitter had some humorous reactions to the hotline report, which could become a subplot of the NBA's return.

It's highly unlikely players are going to start undergoing recon missions in hopes of discovering a player breaking any safety rules, although athletes and coaches have found unique methods to obtain an edge, like when Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul called out Jordan Bell's untucked jersey violation to help win a December 2019 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With all 22 teams finishing out the season lumped together in three hotels by seeding, per Charania, the opportunity will be there for some espionage against rivals.

However, chances are good that players, staff and other NBA personnel on campus will be too busy on their own adhering to an extensive 113-page safety protocol that's so thorough it includes guidance on table tennis (singles allowed and doubles barred), per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.