Kyrie Irving was suspended for five games in a row, with no compensation. That happened after he refused to make an apology of his antisemitic Twitter posts.
Irving was reluctant to offer an apology just minutes after the FBI revealed that it had received reliable info of his antisemitic thoughts. The Nets claimed that they have recently made numerous attempts to assist Irving in comprehending the damage and peril of his speeches and deeds. Irving will only claim that he had no malicious intent, but made no mention of whether he ought not to have made the post.
The first response
When questioned later about his antisemitic views, he gave a negative response. He stated that he could not be antisemitic by any chance. Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, tweeted in response to an Irving’s words to this query supporting him and his words.
The team coach stated that everybody – him and Irving’s teammates stated that they are really disappointed with the latest news and accusations. He continued by saying that Irving will be met in person the following week, and he will give a public speech with apologies.
The consequences
Anyway, Irving has been dismissed from the Nets for the second consecutive season. He was ineligible for home games last year due to his refusal of a Covid-19 vaccination, either. And now he is also not allowed to participate in any five upcoming games and will not be paid anything in the stated period. But still, his position and his arguments remain the same – he states that he could not by any chance be the one to support the antisemitic thoughts or actions, and he would never behave that way by any chance. His opinion on this in particular and any related topic is highly negative, and that would never change.
He also stated being highly disappointed by the fact that his words have been interpreted that way, and he could never think of anything of such a meaning. Still, after he was unable to play for the majority of last season, the team declined to extend his contract this summer. Steve Nash, the Nets’ head coach, was fired on Tuesday after a 2-6 start.
