Derek Jeter denies Marlins players went to clubs before coronavirus outbreak
Miami Marlins president Derek Jeter spoke about his team’s coronavirus outbreak for the first time on Monday, admitting that the team had been too lax in taking precautions but denying that players had left the team hotel to go to bars or clubs.
Jeter said that “nothing salacious” happened on road trips, but that there had been a “false sense of security” among members of the traveling party. He cited poor social distancing and a lack of masks as reasons for the outbreak.
#Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said MLB investigation and Marlin investigation showed “nothing salacious” despite rumors, But said some in the team "travelling party had a false sense of security.” Cited lack of mask wearing, not good job of social distancing.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 3, 2020
Jeter added that he hopes the Marlins’ situation serves as a wakeup call to the rest of the sport regarding what could happen if protocols are not followed properly.
Miami #Marlins CEO Derek Jeter: "I hope people see what happened to us and use that as a warning if you're not following the protocols 100%. You can't let your guard down. We’re battling something that is invisible.''
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2020
There were reports that an MLB investigation found that some Marlins players left the team hotel on a road trip to go to bars or clubs. Jeter says that’s false. Regardless, his point about this being a wake-up call is more than valid.