Details of exactly how the Orlando ‘bubble’ will operate during the upcoming NBA return are beginning to trickle out. The league sent out a memo to all teams about what to expect at Walt Disney World, and it answered some of the biggest questions many had surrounding the comeback.
A major point of contention among players was whether or not they would be forced to remain on the campus at all times. The memo answered that as well as laying out everything players will have at their disposal on the Walt Disney World campus.
Of course, having those rules in place and enforcing them are two very different issues, and the league must be able to find out about any breaking of the rules if they occur. In order to do so, the NBA will reportedly have an anonymous hotline available for anyone to report any action that goes against the protocols in place, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic:
If anyone on the campus sees rules being broken and worries that the actions of one individual might bring harm on the rest of them, the NBA will have an anonymous hotline available for reporting purposes. Teams “are required to report immediately to the league office any information regarding any potential or actual violation,” and “all campus participants are strongly encouraged to report any potential or actual violation.”
It will be very interesting to see if any players would actually use such a hotline to report any perceived violations by others. Even though they are all on separate teams, the NBA players are really like a brotherhood and support each other immensely.
Many may not like the idea of doing such a thing as calling a hotline, even if someone’s actions could put the league at danger.
The league must do everything in its power to keep the players, coaches, and staff safe and that will undoubtedly involve keeping players within that bubble and limiting contact to everyone else. If that were to occur the league should know about it as soon as possible so it can take the necessary actions in order to protect everything.
What the actual punishment will be should players violate the protocols remains to be seen. Regardless, players calling the hotline on other players seems like something that wouldn’t happen too often, but the league must have all avenues available in order to keep things as safe as possible.