The Brooklyn Nets on Thursday suspended star guard Kyrie Irving without pay for “no less than five games” after the seven-time all-star failed to “unequivocally say” that he has no antisemitic beliefs.
Irving, 30, a 12-year veteran in the NBA, had refused to issue an apology that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wanted after he posted a link to an antisemitic movie and book on his Twitter account, according to The Associated Press. The Nets responded with the suspension, saying that Irving is “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
Update 1:45 a.m. EDT Nov. 4: After the Nets announced the suspension, Irving issued an apology on his Instagram account.
“To All Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote. “I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti-semitism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with.
“I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all.”
Original report: The Nets said in announcing Irving’s suspension that they made several attempts to help Irving understand the gravity of his actions.
“Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate,” the Nets said in a statement. “We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.
“We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity -- but failed -- to clarify.”
“I didn’t mean to cause any harm,” Irving said earlier Thursday, according to ESPN. “I’m not the one that made the documentary.”
Irving had tweeted a link to a 2018 documentary, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” CNN reported.
The documentary is based on Ronald Dalton’s book of the same name and has been criticized by civil rights groups as being antisemitic, according to the cable news outlet.
To return to action, the Nets said that Irving must satisfy a “series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct.”
Irving will miss Brooklyn’s visit to the Washington Wizards on Friday and will be sidelined until at least Nov. 12, The Washington Post reported. The earliest he could return is a Nov. 13 game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The suspension came a day after Irving agreed to donate $500,000 and partner with the Anti-Defamation League to fight hate and intolerance, according to the newspaper. However, Silver said he was still “disappointed” how Irving handled the situation.
In a joint statement with the Nets and the ADL released Wednesday, Irving distanced himself from the film and book.