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2 Players who made fun of Coronavirus before it became a pandemic
There was a time when players were openly mocking the contagious illness as it had not spread at such an alarming rate around the world.
Coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world and the humans are being asked to self-isolate themselves for some time to stop the spread of the contagious virus. Such has been the impact of coronavirus that the world has basically come to a halt while lakhs of people have been affected around the globe. The majority of the sports events have been postponed and cancelled by the authorities till the time the situation gets better.
However, there was a time when players were openly mocking the contagious illness as it had not spread at such an alarming rate around the world.
There is the case of NBA player Rudy Gubert, who gained worldwide attention due to his ‘stupid’ actions. The NBA announced the suspension of the remainder of the season after the virus started affecting the United States. At a press conference, Utah
Jazz player Gobert tried to make light of the fears regarding coronavirus.
After the conference, Gobert had got up and jokingly tapped all the microphones and electronic equipment in front of him at the table.
However soon it came to light that it was Gobert only who was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus. Gobert regretted the decision to mock the virus openly.
“It’s all about protecting yourself and the people around you,” Gobert said. “I wish I would’ve taken this thing more seriously and I hope everyone else is going to do so because we can do it together.
Then comes the case of Tottenham player Dele Alli. The 25-year-old Englishman’s video -- which was subsequently deleted after several complaints were made -- showed him wearing a face mask in an airport departure lounge with the message ‘Corona whattt, please listen with volume’.
He moved the camera towards an Asian man before showing a bottle of antiseptic hand wash, with a caption saying ‘This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me’.
Alli was subsequently charged with misconduct over his social media. He later apologized for the video.
“Hi guys, it’s Dele. Just wanted to apologise on my behalf for the video I posted on Snapchat yesterday.
“It wasn’t funny and I realised that immediately and took it down. I let myself down and the club. I don’t want you guys to have that impression of me because it wasn’t funny.
“I realised that straight away and took it down. It isn’t something which should be joked about. I’m sending all of my love, thoughts and prayers to everyone in China.”
Former WWE and AEW World Champion Chris Jericho also did not take coronavirus seriously at the start and called the panic created by it ‘mass hysteria’’.
“I don’t think the public should panic so much,” Jericho said. “[We’re still going on] unless the cops tells us we can’t.”
Jericho then referred to the reaction to the Coronavirus as “mass hysteria.”
(With AFP inputs)
