An apology for Joe Tsai and the NBA for his post about a movie calling for Black America to be Wake up: “I Am sorry, but I am afraid I will have to give up”
Irving was condemned last week by Nets owner Joe Tsai and the NBA for a post on his account about a movie calling for Black America to beWAKE UP.
Irving apologized to all Jewish families and communities who have been hurt by his post. “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 didn’t intend to disrespect Jewish culture or perpetuate hate over the Holocaust. He said he is learning from the unfortunate event, and hopes that they can understand each other.
“I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. Our aim was to be a beacon of truth and light, and we did not mean any harm to any group, race or religion of people.
The NBA dropped the ball on Irving, said analyst and Basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley, who added that he believed Irving should have been suspended.
On Tuesday, when asked why Irving had not been disciplined for his actions, Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters: “I think we are having these discussions behind the scenes.
Keeping the Nets Alive: How Irving was suspended after the Brooklyn Nets Suspended for a Tweet linking to an antisemitic documentary
“This is an effort to develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry,” the statement read.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League CEO, said: “At a time when antisemitism has reached historic levels, we know the best way to fight the oldest hatred is to both confront it head-on and also to change hearts and minds.
Kanye West, who has been criticized following antisemitic remarks on social media and in interviews, showed his support for Irving, tweeting a picture of the guard on Thursday.
Last Friday, he told paparazzi that his mental health issues had been misdiagnosed by a Jewish doctor, made reference to Jewish ownership of media and compared Planned Parenthood to the Holocaust.
Irving missed the first of at least five Brooklyn Nets games Friday after he was suspended for comments regarding his tweet linking to an antisemitic documentary.
I had no intentions of showing disrespect to the Jewish cultural history of the Holocaust. Irving said he was learning from this unfortunate event and hoped to find understanding between us all.
After Irving apologized, Silver said he had made a reckless decision to post a link to a film full of antisemitic material.
Asked if he was surprised by the reaction, Irving said, “I take my full responsibility, again I’ll repeat it, for posting something on my Instagram or Twitter that may have had some unfortunate falsehoods in it,” Irving replied.
Pressed further to answer yes or no to a question on whether Irving had any antisemitic beliefs, he replied: “I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.”
When Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, learned of how the NBA star answered that question, he pointed out that Irving has “a lot of work to do.”
Irving was suspended by the Nets last week, after he doubled down on his decision to share a link to a documentary that was criticized as antisemitic. The 30-year-old NBA star apologized on his Instagram account after his suspension was announced.
The NBA Star Kyrie Irving Does not Have Antisemitism Toward Jews or Any Group of People, and he Has No Hate Speech
The controversy comes as antisemitism has been on the rise in the US over the past few years. The ADL reported an increase of more than 2000 antisemitic incidents in the US by the end of the decade.
There is no place for hate speech or antisemitism at Nike, according to the statement. “To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said previously that Irving would need to pass “some remedial steps and measures” for the star to rejoin the team.
Marks said that there will be some measures put in place to make sure that he seeks counseling and not deal with anti- hate and Jewish leaders in the community. After this, he will have to sit down with the organization, and we will see if it is the right time to bring him back.
The NBA star point guard issued an apology hours later on his verified Instagram account, in which he said he takes full accountability for his actions.
On Friday, Tsai stated that he and Clara met with the family. It is clear to me that Kyrie does not have any hatred towards Jews or any group of people, because we spent so much time talking.
Irving is a vice president on the nine-person executive committee of the National Basketball Players Association.
Comments on “Is Donald Trump antisemitic?” [J.S. Silver, Phys. Lett. A 61, 1019-1200]
In a follow-up call with the newspaper, Silver added: “Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”