While details continue to emerge in Sunday's unfortunate altercation between Sixers forward Mike Scott and Eagles tailgaters, another piece of bad news officially came down from the NBA on Monday.
Going forward, Scott and other NBA players will no longer be permitted to don the "ninja-style headwear" that became popular around the league last year, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Scott and others caught wind of the impending ban over the weekend. The headbands were seen as "unprofessional," Scott was told.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN that the league never had a formal process surrounding the headgear, which was worn by a handful of players including Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, Karl Anthony-Towns and Montrezl Harrell.
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"The ninja-style headwear is not part of the NBA uniform and hasn't been through the league approval process," Bass said in a statement. "Teams have raised concerns regarding safety and consistency of size, length and how they are tied which requires a thorough review before consideration of any rule change."
NBA teams were notified in May that the headwear would no longer be allowed for the 2019-20 season. The league held off from enforcing the ban during the playoffs in order to avoid a disruption.
Scott's brand has been synonymous with the red and white headbands. Fans who have gotten the Mike Scott Hive tattoo even include the headband on the letter O or around the head of the bumble bee.
The sentiment around the league and among fans is that the decision seems unwarranted.
Even LeBron James was wearing one of these headbands during a recent workout.
It's merely coincidental that Scott's ninja powers have been revoked the day after he found himself in a fight outside Lincoln Financial Field. A lifelong fan of the Washington Redskins, Scott was antagonized for wearing the jersey of his favorite team to a football game. It's not Philly's finest moment, but it's also an aberration. That's always important to remember.
Thus far, it appears the Sixers won't take any disciplinary action towards Scott. We can move on to the question of whether he'll be able to drain corner threes without his preferred headgear.