"Insulting and dangerous": Pat Cash faces strong backlash
Australian tennis great Pat Cash has received major backlash on social media after sharing a widely debunked theory about coronavirus.
On Wednesday, Cash took to Twitter to share a link to the ‘Plandemic: Indoctornation’ movie.
The clip promotes a debunked conspiracy theory about how the COVID-19 strain was created.
“It’s finally out, download here as well,” the 55-year-old wrote.
“Be informed - make up your own mind.”
The ‘Plandemic’ movie has been banned on Facebook due to the platform making major moves to combat the spread of “fake news” and misinformation.
Facebook users have been blocked from sharing the link to the full-length movie.
The social media warns anyone who tries to share the link that the URL of the video goes against community guidelines, because it has been determined that “fact-checking partners have repeatedly rated false.”
“Given the previous Plandemic video violated our COVID misinformation policies, we blocked access to that domain from our services,” Facebook told Forbes.
However Twitter doesn’t have the same regulations for users and instead warns users who click on the link that the content may be “unsafe”.
Users who saw Cash’s tweet furiously retaliated.
“Unbelievably disappointing,” commented Dr Nikki Stamp, a heart and lung transplant surgeon.
Seriously @TheRealPatCash THIS is how you think. You need to stick to tennis. I am sickened by this. Making up your own mind - whilst spouting off someone else's fiction. Rubbish. Do you have parents, grandparents, loved ones. Will you wear a mask.?
— Anne Taylor (@AnnieMTaylor) August 19, 2020
“You are putting people’s lives at risks by sharing this, which is not at all factual.”
Meanwhile, Cash has also taken to social media to push back at the strict regulations put in place to protect players at this month’s US Open.
He described the new rules as “ridiculous” and “overkill”.
Forty “social distance ambassadors” will monitor the US Open grounds to make sure players and others are avoiding close contact and wearing face coverings at the upcoming New York grand slam.
The US Tennis Association bought 500,000 masks to distribute in an effort to avoid a second wave during the fan-free tournament starting on August 31.
“We're trying to leave nothing to chance and make it as stress-free for the players as possible,” Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre chief operating officer Danny Zausner said.
The USTA father announced that on Tuesday only one person, who is not a player, turned up positive for COVID-19 out of 1400 tests that were administered in preparation for the US Open.
Two tests are taken 48 hours apart when a player or member of an entourage arrives at one of the two official hotels or one of the private homes the USTA made available for rent on Long Island.
However Cash, who was also required to be tested because of his role as a commentator for Eurosport, said the testing process was simply too much.
“US open tennis ‘bubble’ procedure – 6.30 am first round of testing in hotel (who else would have that type of carpet) now to wait (approx 24 hrs)for results locked in the room,” the 1987 Wimbledon champion posted on Instagram.
“This makes sense but as I read through the rules it seems that many are completely ridiculous and overkill.”