The Brooklyn Nets on Thursday suspended star participant Kyrie Irving because the controversy grows over his tweet with a hyperlink to an antisemitic film.
The Nets said that in a media look earlier within the day, Irving didn’t declare that he has no antisemitic beliefs or acknowledge the content material of the movie.
“We had been dismayed at the moment, when given a possibility in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge particular hateful materials within the movie,” the Nets mentioned in an announcement. “This was not the primary time he had the chance — however failed — to make clear.”
The staff mentioned he can be suspended with out pay for no less than 5 video games.
“We’ve determined that Kyrie will serve a suspension with out pay till he satisfies a collection of goal remedial measures that handle the dangerous impression of his conduct and the suspension interval served is at least 5 video games,” the staff mentioned in an announcement.
Irving has been roundly criticized since final week when he tweeted a hyperlink to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which is predicated on Ronald Dalton’s ebook of the identical title.
The suspension comes the identical day that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned the film incorporates “deeply offensive antisemitic materials.”
Silver additionally mentioned Irving’s statements because the controversy erupted have fallen brief.
“I’m disillusioned that he has not supplied an unqualified apology and extra particularly denounced the vile and dangerous content material contained within the movie he selected to publicize,” Silver mentioned partly in an announcement.