NBA Ref Ken Mauer Says League Forced Him Out For Refusing Vaccine Due To Religious Beliefs

Former NBA referee Ken Mauer feels like he was blackballed by the league in poor taste, and now he’s ready to tell his story.

The 36-year veteran official joins Jason Whitlock on his “Fearless” show to discuss how he was outed due to his refusal to take the COVID vaccine. Mauer claims he had a religious exemption for not taking the shot that wasn’t honored.

“I never thought that my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ would prevent me or stop me or get in the way of me refereeing NBA basketball games. That’s what’s happened,” Ken Mauer said. “Not to just me, but other people.”

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Do not miss today's episode of Fearless. Longtime NBA referee Ken Mauer drops every bit of tea he can, including this story about Black Lives Matter's impact on NBA refs. "It was one of the worst experiences I'd ever experienced as a professional referee." pic.twitter.com/WnQ6hGOAUY

— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) February 22, 2022

Ken Mauer would continue his rant by claiming that there were other NBA refs who were considering joining him in his boycott, but ultimately had to take the vaccine to take care of their families.

“There are many referees who were forced to because they have children, they have families, and they have bills to pay,” Mauer said. “They’re scared and I’m not. I’m never going to take the vaccine.”

As we’ve seen from many players, the league did not impose the mandate on its athletes. But Kyrie Irving has been disallowed from playing in Nets home games because he remains unvaccinated.

At the end of the day, Ken Mauer says he has no regrets about standing up for what he believes in.

“I’m not ashamed of what I’m doing,” Mauer said in the interview. “In fact, I’m very proud of what I’m doing. I’m very proud of my faith.”

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