Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has had his sponsorship agreement with Nike suspended after he tweeted a link to a film containing anti-semitic material.
Irving has already been suspended without pay for five games by the Nets after he shared the documentary 'Hebrews to Ne*****: Wake Up Black America', which includes Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories about Jewish people. Irving then refused to apologise, and even defended his decision to share the material.
The Nets star later went back on his original stance and apologised to those affected and offended by his tweet. But Nike have still taken the decision to suspend Irving, and stop the manufacture of the shoe 'Kyrie 8'.
Irving and Nike have been partners for some time, and the eighth official show in his exclusive line was set to be released. But Nike have now pulled the plug following Irving's recent scandal.
"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," a statement read. "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."
This is despite Irving's eventual decision to apologise for any offence caused, as he took to Instagram to make amends. "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 apologise," Irving wrote.
"I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labelled 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," he added. But this was after initially defending his right to free speech.
Irving tweeted that he had the right to post whatever he chooses, but later deleted the tweet. After then apologising, he has been suspended by the Nets, and has now seen his Nike partnership also suspended.
Nike picked up Irving all the way back in 2011, and began his signature shoe line three years later. Kyrie 8 was meant to be released this month, but that no longer is the case.
Irving joined the Nets from the Boston Celtics in 2019 after originally being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving played alongside LeBron James during his rookie years, and the veteran has since condemned his actions.
"I can tell you this. It’s simple. Me personally, I don’t condone any hate to any kind. To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand.
"I don’t represent that. There’s no place in this world for it. Nobody can benefit from that, and I believe what Kyrie did caused some harm to a lot of people."
