NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay, saying they were dismayed by his failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
Hours after Irving refused to issue the apology NBA commissioner Adam Silver sought for posting a link to an antisemitic work on his Twitter feed, the Nets said Irving is “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
“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 specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity — but failed — to clarify,” the Nets said in a statement.
“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.”
Irving said earlier in the day some things in “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” were untrue, but he didn’t say he shouldn’t have posted a link to it.
“I’m not the one who made the documentary,” Irving said after the Nets practiced.
Irving again said he meant no harm in posting the tweet — which he has since deleted — but didn’t apologize for doing so and instead asked reporters why they weren’t asking questions about the history of Blacks in America, saying 300 million of his ancestors are buried in the country.
