Andrew Bogut: I’d consider retiring because of mandates if I was still playing in the NBL today

I would have considered walking away from the NBL due to the mandates in place that have been pushed by the government, ANDREW BOGUT writes.

If I was still playing in the NBL, I would more than likely stand down because I strongly disagree with showing your “papers’’ to participate in society.

I will be labelled anti-vax and people will implement other labels on me because of my views. That is fine, it goes with the territory. I don’t believe I’m ‘anti-vax’ considering I know my own vaccination history since birth. I am strongly anti-mandate, along with being anti-show-me-your-papers-to-participate-in-society.

I can separate the two.

Your vaccination status and medical history is your business, not the government’s. Not a local cafe. Nobody’s.

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I also understand I am in a unique position. Unlike many people, I don’t have to be forced to do anything to save my job. I am financially sound and can afford to walk away to stand up for my beliefs.

The majority of people cannot do that, hence why I am vocal.

That is why I’m standing up. It’s bigger than just me.

I understand why the NBL, along with other businesses, have enforced mandatory vaccinations, because they are getting government pressure. In the NBL’s case that relates to arenas, border travel and crowd capacity.

Andrew Bogut would’ve considered retiring if the current NBL Covid mandates were in place during playing career. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty

I think it’s clear as day that the Novak Djokovic decision was political. I don’t think it has anything to do with health or with him being vaccinated or unvaccinated.

It’s hard to read through all the cobwebs that the governments have placed around this to find the exact truth, but let’s be honest -Djokovic was given a visa and permit to come and play by the government and TA.

Now they have backtracked big time on the back of public pressure and sentiment. Anybody can see that; the problem is many won’t admit it.

I strongly disagree with the public sentiment. There are a lot of people saying, ‘If I had to be vaccinated to enter Australia, or not lose my job, then so should you’. At that point it has little to do with health. You must conform!

I think there is a dangerous game that the governments are playing. I’ve seen comments made by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and his team, that one of the reasons we didn’t let Novak in was because of the sentiment around anti-vaxxers and what that could cause. Basically, implying Novak would fuel this sentiment.

For most people with half a brain, that is alarming, because now the government can decide on a visa and entry to the country based on “wrongthink” (beliefs or opinions that run contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy).

People need to realise that can now not only affect non-Australians, but also Australian citizens, where the government can hinder civil liberties if they pose a threat via “wrongthink”.

That is what I’m concerned about.

And whatever your stance is, I’m vocal for freedom of choice. If people want to get vaccinated, they should, but under no circumstance should they be forced to – by their government, employer or sporting organisation.

Not anybody.

For the people still saying this is about health, they are lying to themselves. It’s pretty clear this is strictly to do with punishing somebody for not conforming to the mob.

Look at Kyrie Irving’s decision not to be vaccinated in the NBA. Kyrie can sit in a locker room with his whole team, he can practise with teammates and he can shake hands with all the executives.

Unvaxxed NBA star Kyrie Irving. Picture: Jason Miller/Getty/AFP

He can do anything he wants with all these people on a daily basis, except he is not allowed into Brooklyn’s arena, for health reasons, to protect the people in the arena. Well, those 14 players and the rest of the staff and coaches are now in that arena, and they are now conversing and in contact with other people.

They have now been around a “dirty” Kyrie Irving. That makes no logical sense whatsoever.

For me the only answer is that it is about Irving refusing to conform, so we are going to punish him.

The only way this mentality of control changes is by people standing up.

There are now reports that the French Open is also trying to mandate vaccinations in the wake of Australia’s stance with Novak, along with Israel just saying the fourth booster doesn’t do anything for Omicron. So, it stops when the people say, “Enough”.

We are no longer engaging in a mandate for a third, fourth or fifth booster.

But the government, especially in Australia, has control. People have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. People haven’t been able to play sport because they won’t follow government mandates.

My question is: why is there still a vaccination mandate on the first two doses when it is noted by anyone with half a voice in the medical industry that the first two doses don’t do anything for Omicron – a fact the Pfizer chief executive stated only last week?

The answer is: because you didn’t conform – and I just can’t agree with that.

No matter my stance is – pro or anti-vax – I can separate the two to say that forcing people to conform isn’t right.

That is a human-rights violation, especially when you consider people’s rights to earn a living are in jeopardy.

Andrew Bogut is pro-freedom. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty

If the governments mandate a third, fourth or fifth booster, where is the breaking point? How much is enough?

The last time I checked, people who are double dosed and had the booster still have to wear a mask and they still have to go into isolation if they are a close contact. They can still catch and spread the virus.

We are continuing to see companies, such as Nike and Apple, for example, threatening to fire employees if they don’t have their booster in four weeks.

That is absolutely crazy.

We are in la-la land if we think that just because we are at a 90 per cent vaccination rate in Australia that all 90 per cent of those people wanted it. There would be a lot of people who didn’t and don’t want to get the vaccination, but had to for their livelihoods - and that is wrong to me.

I wasn’t anti-lockdown early on in April 2020. There were a lot of unknowns. This was new to us all.

But the more the pandemic went on, I became anti-lockdown because I saw the ramifications it was having for everyday people. The double standards and nonsensical rules continued.

For me, it’s about conforming and, unfortunately, plenty of people in Australia have gone down the mindset of “I didn’t want to get the jab, but I had to because I would lose my job or I couldn’t travel, or I couldn’t go to my favourite cafe – and because I had to do it, so should you”.

I don’t think that is right.