Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton sues Washington officials in defense of doctors
Plaintiff John Stockton and attorney Rick Jaffe joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the goals of the COVID-related lawsuit and how other doctors have responded to it.
Basketball legend John Stockton took legal action against Washington state officials, accusing them of stifling free speech for doctors who spoke out against the mainstream narrative on COVID-19.
Stockton, who got his Gonzaga season tickets suspended over the school's mask mandate in 2022, joined "Fox & Friends First" alongside one of his attorneys, Rick Jaffe, to discuss why he filed suit and what is at stake regarding Americans' First Amendment rights.
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"I think it's pretty simple. It's freedom. Even though we talk about medical freedom and things, it's freedom and freedom to speak. It's our First Amendment," the longtime Utah Jazz point guard told Todd Piro when asked what the ultimate goal is.
"It's really important… to our government and the lives that we've come to love in the United States of America.
"So if the doctors can't speak… these brilliant people that we have in our culture, can't speak when they know truths, their truths, and now we're deprived of that opportunity to hear… the… wisdom they have to share, I think that's a big deal," he continued.
Former Utah Jazz player, John Stockton talks to the media during a press conference before the New York Knicks game against the Utah Jazz on March 22, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Stockton, who is widely known for questioning the efficacy of the COVID vaccine and masks, filed the lawsuit against Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the state's medical commission last week alongside doctors who faced state sanctions, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Now-retired ophthalmologist Dr. Richard Eggleston, another plaintiff in the case, reportedly faced sanctions after writing an article on the matter that appeared in the Lewiston Tribune.
The commission adopted a formal mission statement on its stance against COVID-19 misinformation in 2021.
"It has never been more vital for trusted healthcare professionals to band together against the threat of misinformation. As we battle COVID-19, with so many tools at our disposal to protect ourselves and others, it is viral misinformation, rooted in unfounded scientific claims, that often stands in our way," it reads on the website.
"It is our ethical duty to listen to our patients concerns, course-correct when people fall prey to falsehoods, and help them make informed medical decisions that are guided by research and medical science. Now more than ever we must align with the oath we took to 'do no harm,' and part of that means trusting science, listening, educating and caring for our patients according to the guidelines set by the FDA, the CDC, and experts at the state health department as we work to care for and protect the people we treat."
The website also notes that doctors that offer treatments and recommendations inconsistent with the "standard of care" decided by medical professionals are subject to disciplinary action.
"The Washington Medical Commission, I think, is an outlier in most states. They're taking the position that speaking out against the COVID narrative is an act of moral turpitude, which they're saying gives them the statutory authority to sanction physicians," Jaffe said on Thursday.
"To me, that's kind of crazy… We have a history of at least going back 75 years, allowing professionals to speak out in public. I don't think there's any court case that's ever held that a professional can be silenced."
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"In terms of his speech to the public… that's kind of a new concept," he continued. "Hopefully that's not going to work, but nobody has challenged Washington yet so far on this, and we intend to do that."
The lawsuit requested a declaration claiming that the state's ability to sanction doctors over their stances on COVID "violates the substantive procedural due process rights of Washington licensed physicians," according to The Spokesman-Review.
The Gonzaga alum, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, said the response he has gotten from doctors has been "overwhelmingly positive."
"I've received calls from people and doctors that I haven't spoken to in quite a while, and they're just so grateful," he said. "They're grateful that somebody is stepping up that has a voice. Clearly anybody can do it, but apparently I have a little bit more voice than the average citizen, and they're just grateful somebody's stepping up and say[ing], 'hey, there's something wrong here.'"
Stockton said during the pandemic he was shocked at businesses being shut down, followed by mask and vaccine mandates and thought "this can't happen in America."
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