The Miami Marlins had a coronavirus outbreak shortly after the season began, raising red flags regarding the health and safety protocol and whether the players are following them. Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said some players left their hotel in Atlanta to get milk, coffee and dinner at a friend's home, though rumors are swirling that the players went to a strip club.
Jeter says they were not running about in the city, but did get too relaxed, let their "guard down" and were not wearing masks and social distancing as much as they should have been.
Former Marlins president David Samson sits down on his podcast "Nothing Personal with David Samson" to offer his opinions on the outbreak and what the Marlins have been saying.
Samson says Jeter should not have told the media what to cover and how to word their stories.
Jeter said there were no players at bars or clubs or other guests on site, but Samson questions why he would make these claims.
"Really? How do you know? Did you check all the security cams? Did you knock on every door?" he asks.
Samson says Jeter did not handle the press conference as he would have, including giving the reasons for why they were out and about.
Samson reacts to the news that the players were out buying themselves clothes saying, "That's what they were doing? Give me a break."
"He was such a player during this press conference," Samson says of Jeter, commenting that he handled it as many who leave playing to have some sort of ownership role "thinking the way they acted as a player is how they can ask as an owner."
He also discusses how MLB tried to say that everyone else was following the protocols and this issue of positive tests would not impact any other teams, which went to "hell in a hand basket" when the St. Louis Cardinals had positive tests.
