Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Kyrie Irving informing the Nets his plan to retire after sharing tweet of “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America” documentary is FAKE NEWS. (Read More Here).
Nike has suspended its relationship with US basketball superstar Kyrie Irving and cancelled the release of his branded shoe after the continuing controversy over his posting a link to an anti-Jewish film.
The Brooklyn Nets already suspended guard Irving for at least five games without pay for his “failure to disavow” anti-Semitism.
Hours later, Irving issued an apology late on Thursday for a social media post last week, in which he offered a link to Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, a 2018 film widely lambasted for containing a range of anti-Jewish tropes.
But the apology was not enough to stop Nike from suspending ties with Irving. “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. “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,” the statement said. The Anti-Defamation League is refusing to accept Kyrie Irving’s donation … with its CEO saying in a statement Thursday the org. is giving back the $500K that the Nets star donated this week.
Jonathan Greenblatt made the announcement on his Twitter page — just minutes after Brooklyn suspended the point guard for at least five games.
In his statement, Greenblatt said that after Irving refused to specifically apologize for tweeting out a link to a film that contained antisemitic rhetoric despite having multiple opportunities to do so … the ADL “cannot in good conscience accept his donation.”
“We were optimistic,” Greenblatt said, “but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions.”
Irving initially made the donation on Wednesday evening … with the Nets saying they’d match his pledge. A statement came attached to the announcement of the contribution, with Irving appearing to express remorse for his tweet.
But, things only got worse after that — despite having several chances to straight-up apologize or completely denounce antisemitism, Kyrie refused.
“I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from,” Irving said when asked if he held any antisemitic beliefs. He also would not explain what parts of the film he disagreed with … saying, “I think some of the criticism of the Jewish faith and the community for sure. Some points made in there that were unfortunate.”
The ADL isn’t alone. NBA commissioner Adam Silver — who is Jewish — unloaded on Irving for his comments … saying he was “disappointed and” would be meeting with him in person over the matter.
Irving has since been suspended at least 5 games … with the Nets saying they’re “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
It’s unclear if the ADL will accept the Nets’ $500k donation that came along with Kyrie’s contribution.
Irving’s now had three chances to put the controversy behind him … and only continues to dig himself into a deeper hole.
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