On Thursday, Kyrie Irving met with the media and was asked about the antisemitic documentary he posted to Twitter (and has since deleted).
He did not appear to give any kind of genuine apology for the tweet.
Later in the day, the Brooklyn Nets have announced (in a statement on Twitter) that they have suspended Irving.
Nets' statement: "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. 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 the specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time that he had the opportunity - but failed - to clarify.
Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games."
The Nets have been an absolute mess to start the season as they are just 2-6 in their first eight games, and parted ways with head coach Steve Nash on Tuesday.
Irving is averaging 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest.
Over the next five games, the Nets will play the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.
On Oct. 29, Irving made a post to Twitter about the situation.
Irving: "I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions. Hélà"
The Nets were supposed to be one of the best teams in the NBA when they signed Irving in the summer of 2019, but they have only won just one playoff series during that time span (and there has been a lot of unnecessary distractions).
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