Los Angeles (AFP)
Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for the new coronavirus on Wednesday and since under fire of criticism for acts of negligence, admitted on Thursday on Twitter to have "been discerning", apologizing to the people he was able to "put in danger".
"I want to thank everyone who has shown me support over the past 24 hours. A lot of emotions have crossed my mind since my diagnosis ... mainly anxiety, fear and even shame at times", said writes the 27-year-old French basketball player.
"I would like to apologize publicly to people I may have endangered. I really did not think I was a carrier of this pathology. I lacked discernment and admit it," he continued.
Monday, 48 hours before the announcement of his positive test at "Covid-19", Gobert had made a joke at the end of a press conference. After answering a question about the epidemic, he got up and touched the microphones and recorders on the table with his hands, before leaving the room.
Since Wednesday, the video recording of this sequence has been around the world and generated strong criticism of it.
One of ESPN's journalists, Adrian Wojnarowski, reported on Thursday morning that some of Gobert's teammates "privately deplored his neglect of them in the locker room, affecting them and their belongings".
In the process, his teammate at the Jazz Donovan Mitchell confirmed to have also tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the second player in the NBA to be reached.
In a message posted on Instagram, he said: "We are all learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to learn and realize that they have to behave responsibly at both for their own health and for the well-being of those around them. "
Words probably intended for Rudy Gobert, who more or less used the same in one message: "I hope that this story can be used to avoid others, by showing how seriously we have to take in these circumstances ".
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