NBA Memo Puts Emphasis on Teams to Monitor, Enforce COVID-19 Protocol Violations

In a memo sent to teams Thursday, the NBA said it was "placing a significant burden on team officials to monitor and mete out discipline in cases of COVID-19 protocol violations among players and staff," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.   

Teams will be required to inform the league of any discipline handed down to players or staff, though the league still holds the right to override or increase any punishment, per the collective bargaining agreement. 

The league already appointed compliance enforcement officers and facemask officers to monitor and report any infractions to individual front offices. 

Additionally, the league office continues to "oversee primary responsibility to monitor and investigate in-game violations—such as the failure of coaches or inactive players to wear masks—and what it deems exceptional circumstances, such as 'egregious' or 'meaningful' organizational failures that result in the spread of COVID-19, game delays, postponements or repeated flagrant violations."

The NBA deservedly earned plaudits for its excellent plan to resume the 2019-20 season in a bubble environment at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, however, the league is attempting a trickier proposition by holding a 72-game season with travel between home arenas. 

Despite registering zero new positive tests in its last testing cycle, the NBA has encountered some complications.

On the second night of the season, a matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder had to be postponed after the Rockets couldn't field enough players, in large part because a number of Rockets had to quarantine as part of the league's contact tracing coronavirus protocols, and at least three players registered a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test.

Four Chicago Bulls players—Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacono, Tomas Satoransky and Chandler Hutchison—were ruled out of Thursday's game against the Washington Wizards due to the NBA's health and safety protocols.

A certain level of complications is to be expected amid a global pandemic. But the NBA means business when it comes to enforcing its health and safety protocols, as evidenced by Thursday's memo.