Unfortunately, Kyrie Irving He garners more headlines in the press for what he does off the field than what he does on the court. For too long his player Brooklyn Nets has become synonymous with disputeeither because of his closeness to conspiracy theories, because of his unexcused absences with the group or because of his refusal to be vaccinated COVID-19. However, the latter has crossed a red line and his team decided to disqualify him.
Over the past week, the Nets #11 has put himself in the spotlight. But, what happened to kyrie irving? Then the summary and explanation of his latest controversy, his words of apology and his statement Adam Silver, NBA commissioner.
What happened to Kyrie Irving? The explanation of his latest controversy
Last Thursday, October 27th Kyrie Irving tweeted the link to a documentary titled Jews to Negroes: Awaken Black Americadirected by the author of the book of the same name Ronald Dalton, Jr. This audiovisual product, according to those who have viewed it, contains a clear message of hatred towards the Jewish community, which raises conspiracy and anti-Semitic theories, among which the Holocaust denial.
This simple gesture ignited social networks and the media because of the clear message of support for hate speech carried out by a person of the public entity Irving. He later deleted it tweet.
The following day owner Joe Tsai and the Brooklyn Nets released a statement to the effect:
I am disappointed that Kyrie seems to be supporting a movie based on a book full of anti-Semitic misinformation. I want to sit down and make sure you understand that this hurts us all. and, as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hatred based on race, nationality or religion. This is bigger than basketball.
The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and do not tolerate the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action should be an open and honest dialogue. Thank you, including the ADL [Liga Anti-Difamación]who supported this period.
At this point in the controversy, Kyrie Irving had it in his hands to retract and accept the mistake. Nonetheless, tweeted the following:
I’m a PANTOLOGIST and meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The label of “anti-Semite” imposed on me is unwarranted and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in every day. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.
I’m a PANTOLOGIST and meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or the truth I live every day. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.
Hello🤞🏾♾
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) October 29, 2022
After the game against the Indiana Pacers, at the press conference, he had an exchange with ESPN reporter Nick Friedel where he threw balls out and accused the press of manipulating his message:
Kyrie Irving on his recent comments and Alex Jones: pic.twitter.com/xgoKVc70Hp
– Tavio Thrower 🏀 (@TavioThrowerNBA) October 30, 2022
After all that happened, the NBA issued a statement that same Saturday, October 29:
Hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and goes against the NBA’s values of equality, inclusion and respect. We believe we all have a role to play in ensuring that any such words or ideas, including anti-Semitic ones, are challenged and refuted, and we will continue to work with all members of the NBA community to ensure that everyone understands the impact of their words and actions. ..
On Thursday morning, Nov. 3, moments after Adam Silver bemoaned the player’s lack of a strong apology, Irving attended the media. In that brief press appearance, the point guard didn’t back down, but shied away from his share of the blame, claiming that “I meant no harm. I’m not the one who made the documentary.”
Kyrie Irving’s latest statement
After everything that happened in the last week, his night Wednesday, November 2 it was announced that Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets will be partnering with the aforementioned Anti-Defamation League. Also, the player would donate half a million dollars to the cause.
In the announcement he stated the following:
I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong against communities that are marginalized and affected every day.
I am aware of the negative impact of my publication on the Jewish community and take responsibility. I do not believe that everything said in the documentary is true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a person who learns from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. In this way, my family and I did not want to harm any group, race or religion of people and we only want to be a beacon of truth and light.
Kyrie Irving and the Nets will partner with the Anti-Defamation League and donate $500,000 each “to causes and organizations working to eliminate hate and bigotry in communities.”
In a statement, Irving said he “didn’t mean any harm” by his post. pic.twitter.com/3MMJOIqc96
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Spain 🇪 (@sportingnewses) November 3, 2022
A day later, the Anti-Defamation League announced that rejected Kyrie Irving’s donation, “We were hopeful, but after seeing the collapse at the press conference, it’s clear Kyrie feels no responsibility for his actions. Therefore, we cannot accept the donation”said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.
Statement by Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner
Hours after Kyrie Irving’s statement, Adam Silver, NBA Commissioneruttered the following words:
Kyrie Irving made the absurd decision to post a link to a movie that contained deeply offensive anti-Semitic material. While we appreciate that you have agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that you did not issue an unconditional apology and specifically denounce the vile and harmful content it contains. the movie you chose to advertise. I will meet with Kyrie in person next week to discuss this situation.
Brooklyn Nets declaration and suspension of Kyrie Irving
“Over the past few days, we have made repeated efforts to work with Kyrie Irving and help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with advertising a movie that contained disturbing anti-Semitic hate. We believed we were choosing to The path of education in this difficult situation would be the right path and we believed that we had made progress with our shared commitment to eradicate hatred and bigotry.”
“We were disappointed today when in a press conference Irving refused to say categorically that he has no anti-Semitic thoughts, nor did he acknowledge any specific hate material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity, but failed . to clarify the situation.” .
“Such a failure to repudiate anti-Semitism with a clear opportunity to do so is deeply troubling, goes against the values of our organization and constitutes behavior that is detrimental to the group. Based on this, we believe that he is not currently fit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have determined that Kyrie must serve a suspension without pay until he completes a series of objective corrective measures that address the harmful effects of his conduct. Compliance will be a minimum of five games.”
Kyrie Irving’s apology
After learning of his suspension from the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving took to his Instagram account to make a apologies to the Jewish community and families.
“While researching YHWH, I released a documentary that contained some anti-Semitic statements, narratives and language that were false and offensive to the Jewish race/religion, and I take full responsibility for my actions. I am grateful to have a great platform to to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from it.
To all the Jewish families and communities affected by my post, I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused you and I apologize. I initially reacted with emotion at being unfairly labeled as anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters who were hurt by the hateful comments made in the documentary. I want to clear up any confusion about my position in the fight against anti-Semitism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and without an objective explanation outlining the documentary’s specific beliefs with which I agree and disagree. He had no intention of disrespecting Jewish cultural history in relation to the Holocaust or perpetuating hatred. I learn from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different from any other person. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge and I know who I am”Irving wrote.
Check out this Instagram post
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
