Coronavirus: Rudy Gobert issues statement, apologizes for being careless

Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday night, which resulted in the NBA suspending the season.

On Thursday afternoon, he posted the following message on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support over the last 24 hours.I have gone through so many emotions since learning of my diagnosis…mostly fear, anxiety, and embarrassment.The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered.At the time, I had no idea I was even infected.I was careless and make no excuse.I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously.I will do whatever I can to support using my experience as way to educate others and prevent the spread of this virus .I am under great care and will fully recover.Thank you again for all your support.I encourage everyone to take all of the steps to stay safe and healthy. Love.

A post shared by Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) on Mar 12, 2020 at 1:03pm PDT

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Gobert's teammate, Donovan Mitchell, tested positive Thursday morning. And as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported:

Jazz players are privately saying that Gobert showed a cavalier attitude toward the virus in the locker room, touching teammates and their belongings.

On Monday, Gobert essentially mocked the panic surrounding the spread of the virus:

So...here is Rudy touching all the mics following Mondays shoot around that has some people concerned... #TakeNote #utahjazz #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/dr4auECTr4
— Dave Fox (@Davefox2) March 12, 2020