Group gathers outside Kennel before Gonzaga game to protest mask mandate, John Stockton suspension

A small group of protesters stood outside of McCarthey Athletic Center Saturday night before Gonzaga’s game against Portland to express frustration with the university’s mask mandate and recent decision to suspend the season tickets of Hall of Famer John Stockton.

The protest came one week after Stockton confirmed to The Spokesman-Review the university had deactivated his season tickets for failing to comply with the university’s mask mandate to stop the spread of COVID-19. Stockton, a Gonzaga standout in the early 1980s who played 19 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, told the S-R he doesn’t plan to attend another game at his alma mater until the school changes the mandate.

About a dozen protesters, some holding signs and others American flags, formed outside the south entrance of the Kennel more than an hour before the Bulldogs’ 6 p.m. tipoff against the Pilots. The group included mostly middle-aged men and women, but also two toddler-aged girls – one of whom held an American flag while the other held a Gadsden flag.

Other protesters held signs reading, “Stockton is a legend! NO mask!” “I support Stockton. No mask!” and “Unmasked, unmuzzled, unafraid.”

With the exception of one middle-aged man speaking through a megaphone, protesters stood in silence as fans trickled through the small group to get inside the Kennel.

In a 30-minute interview with the S-R on Jan. 22, Stockton said he’d spoken with Gonzaga Athletic Director Chris Standiford multiple times about the mask mandate that’s been enforced since October before the university ultimately decided to suspend his tickets.

Stockton suggested the relationship with his alma mater hasn’t been permanently fractured, but could take some time to mend.

“I think certainly it stresses it. I’m pretty connected to the school,” Stockton said. “I’ve been part of this campus since I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I was just born a couple blocks away and sneaking into the gym and selling programs to get into games since I was a small boy. So, it’s strained but not broken and I’m sure we’ll get through it, but it’s not without some conflict.”