UPDATE: Following Kyrie Irving‘s suspension from the Brooklyn Nets, the basketball player has said he’s “deeply sorry.”
“While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions,” his message, posted to Instagram Nov. 3, began. “I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.”
“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 apologize,” he continued. “I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled 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. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism [sic] by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with.”
Irving added that he didn’t intent to perpetuate hate or disrespect the Jewish history, specifically regarding the Holocaust.
“I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all,” he concluded. “I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.”
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Basketball player Kyrie Irving has been put on the sidelines.
The Brooklyn Nets announced Nov. 3 that Irving has been suspended from the team without pay after the 30-year-old’s inaction to condemn antisemitism. The move comes after Irving linked to the 2018 movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America that contained rhetoric against Jewish people in a since-deleted tweet, per NBC News.
