The Nets suspended Kyrie Irving without pay for at least five games Thursday following his repeated refusals to apologize for recently promoting an antisemitic documentary and book on social media.
The star guard has drawn heavy criticism since Oct. 29 when he posted a since-deleted tweet endorsing a new film based on a 2015 book titled Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Thursday’s discipline came less than 24 hours after a joint statement from Irving, the Nets and Anti-Defamation League announcing both the 11-year veteran and the team would each donate $500,000 to help “promote education” and combat hate speech by donating to causes and organizations that work to fight hate speech.
Following the news of Irving’s suspension, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued a statement to SNY’s Ian Begley stating the organization has chosen not to accept Irving’s donation after he again refused to apologize for his actions during a media session Thursday afternoon. Greenblatt later confirmed this on Twitter, saying, “ADL cannot in good conscience accept (the donation).”
During the session, Irving, who has also doubled down on the tweet both on Twitter and in a heated post-game interview last Saturday, said he “didn’t mean to cause any harm” but again declined to offer an apology.
“We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions” Greenblatt tweeted, in part.
In a statement announcing the discipline, the Nets deemed Irving “currently unfit to be associated” with the team and also cited his comments from the Thursday press conference as one of the catalysts for the decision.
The team did not specify the length of the suspension but noted it would last until Irving “satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct.”
Earlier in the day, NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement condemning Irving’s actions, and announced he would meet with the former All-Star next week.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Silver said in a release. “While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize. I will be meeting Kyrie in person next week to discuss the situation.”
The earliest Irving could return is Nov. 13 when the Nets take on the Lakers.
