NBA star Kyrie Irving got his apology, but four COVID-era athletes still waiting for theirs from the media

NBA star Kyrie Irving recently received an on-air apology from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith over his decision to remain unvaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, a stance that reportedly cost him millions of dollars in lost earnings. The moment prompted a Fox News/Outkick columnist to argue that several other athletes who made similar choices during the pandemic have never received comparable acknowledgement from the media, despite facing significant professional and financial consequences for prioritising personal choice over vaccination mandates.

The piece highlights tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was deported from Australia before the 2022 Australian Open and barred from competing in the United States at tournaments including Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the US Open, despite insisting he was not "anti-vaccine" but supported bodily autonomy; outlets such as Time, Vanity Fair and Axios framed him negatively during the saga. It also cites former Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, one of only a handful of unvaccinated NHL players, who missed every regular-season game in Canada during 2021-22 due to border restrictions, forfeiting roughly half a million dollars in salary, and was labelled "short-sighted and selfish" by media at the time. The article, cut short in the extract provided, indicates two further unnamed athletes were also to be discussed as deserving similar apologies.