a Covid-19 positive ASVEL player plays 40 seconds before leaving the match

It is a gruesome scenario which took place on Sunday at the Meilleraie, den of Cholet Basket, on behalf of the fourth day. The Choletais received Lyon-Villeurbanne (73-82), a team already decimated before the start of the match by absences due to Covid-19 from Matthew Strazel, Kevarrius Hayes and his coach TJ Parker, Tony’s brother. After 40 seconds, Norris Cole, double NBA champion with the Miami Heat and now leader of ASVEL, left the field at the first stoppage of play to never return to the game. Observers then wondered if the American was injured during the warm-up. The answer came from the ASVEL twitter account during half-time. An additional player, Norris Cole, therefore, tested positive for Covid-19. “The player was immediately taken out of the match as a precaution“, specifies the club.

Frédéric Fauthoux, assistant coach of TJ Parker in normal times but who therefore made the interim as main coach following the absence of the second, explained in a press conference having learned during the warm-up that the test had come back positive. So why did Norris Cole start the game anyway? Frédéric Fauthoux is justified as reported by the specialized site BeBasket : “During the warm-up we learned he was positive and couldn’t play. We notified the LNB. I couldn’t take it off since it was already listed in the major five on the scoresheet. I’m just doing my job, can’t judge what happened. “Indeed, a point of settlement freezes the starting five when it is entered on the score sheet a few minutes from the jump ball except”in case of injury“.

A posteriori, the attitude of Norris Cole at the beginning of the meeting questions. The American leader took part in the LNB protocol and clapped the hands of his opponents as if nothing had happened when his positive test had been revealed to him a few minutes earlier.

Following these revelations, the mayor of Cholet Gilles Bourdouleix (various right) denounced “irresponsibility“of this situation on his twitter account, promising to file a complaint against ASVEL and the National Basketball League. He also threatened to no longer authorize matches at the Meilleraie if a positive case is found.”I will ban matches from the moment in a team, there will be at least one positive case proven less than a week before, the city councilor told AFP. This is the rule for everyone. When we are in contact, we must remain in quarantine for a week. But sports structures do not apply this rule, with the agreement of the government, which is completely surreal. Now at the slightest positive case in a team, I will not open the basketball hall in Cholet. “Cholet’s next home match is due to take place Wednesday, October 21 against the Israeli club Hapoel Holon, for the first European meeting for the club since 2013.