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Rudy Gobert, the first player to contract COVID-19 after mic incident, calls NBA tip line ‘petty’

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert isn’t planning on using the NBA’s anonymous tip line during the league’s restart at Walt Disney World, something in place to help keep COVID-19 out of the bubble.

In fact, Gobert — who was the first player in the league to test positive for the coronavirus after his infamous interview incident — thinks it’s “petty.”

"I don't know if someone's gonna use it, but I think it's sort of petty," Gobert said, via ESPN. "At the same time, you want to make sure that people respect the rules.

"But I don't think the line will really help at that point. I think it's more about respecting each other and all do it as a small community. Everyone is pretty much educated about the virus at this point, and it's more about respect. At the same time, you want to make sure you socialize and do all those things, but still respecting each other's space and try to wear the mask inside, especially when it's crowded."

The league suspended operations following Gobert’s positive test in March. His positive test came just days after he jokingly went out of his way to touch every single microphone and recording device in front of him during a media conference, his attempt to make light of the pandemic. He was also reportedly tohcing players and their belongings in the locker room repeatedly, too.

Clearly, those jokes didn’t go over well.

Several players reportedly received warnings for breaking safety protocol on Tuesday after the tip line was used. It’s not clear who received warnings or what they had done.

The league is being extremely aggressive with safety so far, too, and has already forced both Bruno Cabocolo and Richaund Holmes to start the quarantine process over after they both accidentally broke the rules. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler had security called on him for dribbling a basketball in his room, too.

Now, Gobert isn’t alone in his thoughts about the tip line. Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who opted out of the season and is not in the bubble, said he told players not to use “the snitch hotline.”

There were more than 3.4 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States as of Tuesday afternoon, according to The New York Times, and more than 136,000 deaths attributed to it. The country set a new single-day record on Friday, recording more than 68,000 new cases alone, and has averaged more than 61,000 new cases a day over the past week.

Florida had more than 300,000 confirmed cases, the third-most in the country behind only New York and California, and set a stunning new state record on Sunday with more than 15,000 new cases alone.

Though it could make for some uncomfortable calls and situations, the top line could prove to be critical to ensuring play can continue in Florida while the pandemic is still raging throughout the state.

Finding players who either admit to using it or think it’s necessary, however, could prove to be tough.

"At this point, I think we've all been through enough meetings, each team individually, about the coronavirus and understanding the importance of practicing social distancing and wearing a mask and all those things," Jazz guard Mike Conley said, via ESPN. "So, at this point, we've got to trust each other. We've got to trust the other teams, the other players. We know our guys are gonna do the right thing and kind of just trust the process."

Rudy Gobert doesn't think the NBA tip line at Walt Disney World will be used.
Rudy Gobert doesn't think the NBA tip line at Walt Disney World will be used. (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

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