Gonzaga revokes former basketball star John Stockton's tickets over refusal to mask

Gonzaga University has suspended the season tickets of one of its most famous alumnus, NBA Hall of Fame guard John Stockton, due to his refusal to follow the school's mask mandate for indoor sporting events.

Stockton, a critic of COVID-19 vaccines, confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Saturday his alma mater's decision to bar him from future games.

"Basically, it came down to, they were asking me to wear a mask to the games and being a public figure, someone a little bit more visible, I stuck out in the crowd a little bit," Stockton told the newspaper.

"And therefore they received complaints and felt like from whatever the higher-ups - those weren't discussed, but from whatever it was higher up - they were going to have to either ask me to wear a mask or they were going to suspend my tickets," he added.

Gonzaga University requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result within 72 hours to attend home athletic events, according to The Spokesman-Review. The university has even suspended the sale of food and beverage at home athletic events as a further protective measure.

In a statement, Gonzaga's athletic director, Chris Standiford, said the university will continue to work to "implement and enforce" health and safety protocols mandated by the state and school policy, The Spokesman-Review noted.

"We will not speak to specific actions taken with any specific individuals. We take enforcement of COVID-19 health and safety protocols seriously and will continue to evaluate how we can best mitigate the risks posed by COVID-19 with appropriate measures," Standiford said in a statement.

Stockton, the NBA's all-time leader in assist and steals, has been a strong opponent of coronavirus lockdown restrictions and mask mandates, initially sharing his thoughts in 2021 documentary titled "COVID and the Vaccine: Truth, Lies and Misconceptions Revealed," the newspaper reported.

Among Stockton's false claims about COVID-19 vaccines was his assertion that 100 professional athletes, and possibly millions of people total, have died from the vaccines.

"I think it's highly recorded now, there's 150 I believe now, it's over 100 professional athletes dead - professional athletes - the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court," Stockton said.

As the omicron variant spreads rapidly around the country, public gathering places from schools to stadiums have been forced to revise or reinstitute public safety protocols.