A Friday afternoon in which everyone is anxiously awaiting the final tallies in a presidential race is possibly the most effective time of the year to make sure nobody reads whatever limp statements you need to release. Coincidentally, today MLB concluded their investigation of COVID-positive Justin Turner's World Series celebration and went public with their findings. The conclusion settled upon by MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Turner was: Ah yeah, that was bad.
If you're not reading all of that, and really, who could blame you when there are maps to refresh, these are the big takeaways about how Turner left isolation to party with his teammates:
- Other Dodgers encouraged him to get back on the field, at least in part because they believed they had already been exposed to him, and therefore didn't mind the risk
- Turner believes that at least one Dodgers employee told him it was OK to emerge for a team photo
- Turner was told by an "unidentified person" on the field that others had tested positive for COVID-19, which made him believe that he was being specifically picked on by being put in isolation
- MLB says they should have put a security guard on Turner and transported him to the hotel from the game more quickly
- Turner apologized for "failing to appreciate the risks of returning to the field," and the Dodgers expressed regret, blah blah blah, etc.
All involved claim to have sincerely learned from their actions, and as this pandemic continues with no signs of abating, MLB and all other sports leagues that are determined to keep playing will hopefully resolve to—have they called a winner in Pennsylvania yet or what?
