NBA is sued by fired referees who refused COVID vaccines

FILE PHOTO: The NBA logo is displayed as people pass by the NBA Store in New York City, U.S., October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association has been sued by three longtime referees who say the league fired them this year after they refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 over religious objections.

In a complaint filed on Saturday in Manhattan federal court, Kenny Mauer, Mark Ayotte and Jason Phillips said the league improperly forced compliance with its "hygienic norms," and wrongly concluded that their sincere religious objections fell short of its "high standard" against being vaccinated.