Frank Vogel On Dwight Howard Being Reported For Not Wearing A Mask: 'He’s Doing So Now'
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Friday he was aware that Dwight Howard was reported to the NBA Campus Hotline for not wearing a mask in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World near Orlando.
“The information did get to me,” Vogel said in a video conference call. “The reaction is that we all should be wearing masks in and around the hotel lobby. And the areas that we’re being asked to wear a mask, we should wear a mask. And he’s doing so now.”
In an Instagram Live on Wednesday, Howard said someone called the anonymous tip hotline to report his transgression.
“Somebody told on me,” Howard said.
The hotline, which is widely being called the "Snitch Hotline," was created by the league so people inside the 22-team bubble could report violations of safety protocols.
Vogel said everyone in the bubble has made major sacrifices to finish the season, which was suspended March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and will resume July 30. He added it's each individual's responsibility to ensure the integrity of the bubble.
"If we’re not going to follow the little sacrifices day-to-day, it really negates the big sacrifices that we’re making," Vogel said. "The social distancing, the trying to wear a mask every situation that you should be wearing a mask, all of these things contribute to as clean of a bubble as we can create. And they’re all every bit as important as the major sacrifices we’re making.”
Since NBA teams began arriving in the bubble July 7, multiple tips have been reported to the hotline, according to The Athletic.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers joked Wednesday that he was among the callers.
“I turned in LeBron [James] yesterday,” Rivers told reporters. “I’m turning in Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] today. I’m trying to turn all these guys in. I think it’s phenomenal. We’re going to be the only team left when I’m done with this hotline thing.”
