Jaylen Brown Won't Say If He's Vaccinated, But Says He's 'Ready To Play Against Anybody'
BOSTON (CBS) -- With a potential first round matchup with the Toronto Raptors, the vaccination status of the Boston Celtics has become a somewhat hot topic as of late. While Boston players aren't saying whether or not they are vaccinated, they are making it clear that they can play wherever the postseason schedule takes them.
Jaylen Brown became the latest player to tiptoe around the subject on Sunday following Boston's blowout win over the Washington Wizards. Brown sat out last Monday's visit to the Raptors, getting a rest on the second night of a back-to-back. But that absence has fueled speculation that some Celtics players may not be able to play in Toronto in the postseason, with Canada now requiring pro athletes to be vaccinated to enter the country.
Brown wouldn't say if he was vaccinated on Sunday, but made it clear that he is ready to play against anybody.
"Last year, I missed the playoffs," Brown noted. "I had a season-ending injury with my wrist. This year, from a competitive standpoint, I'm excited and ready to play against anybody."
That should put the issue to bed. And Brown gave a pretty good reason not to say whether or not he's vaccinated.
"As a vice president of the Players Association, it's a part of my job description to protect our players' rights and our medical privacy," he said. "So you won't hear me commenting on my status or anybody else's. That's how I feel about it."
The Celtics as a team have said they won't comment on individuals and their vaccination status, as was made clear by Celtics president of basketball ops. Brad Stevens last Friday. Head coach Ime Udoka did say last week that all of Boston's players -- if healthy -- "are available to play" when asked about a potential postseason trip to Canada.
Al Horford, whose status was also in question for potential games in Toronto after he skipped last Monday's trip, said last week that he'd "be ready to play wherever."
The Celtics, at 49-30, sit in the second-seed in the Eastern Conference with a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks with three games left in the regular season. They would currently match up with the seven-seed in the East, which will be determined by the Play-In tournament. The Raptors will finish in either the five- or six-seed, so the vaccination status of Celtics players may be a moot point by the time the postseason arrives.