Kyrie Suspended For 5 Games For Antisemitic Post
Kyrie Irving has found himself in the line of fire over the past week as his controversial post on Twitter attracted great attention, severe criticism, and a lot of scrutiny. After a week-long period of confusion and condemnation, Brooklyn Nets announced to ban of the star player for at least 5 games as his response to the critical issue was deemed unsatisfactory. This was followed by an unconditional apology from Kyrie Irving.
Antisemitic Post
Last Week, Irving posted a link to an antisemitic documentary on his Twitter account. The post instantly took Twitter by storm as fans, players, and stakeholders condemned the antisemitic post by the 7-time NBA All-Star.
Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League and the NBA commissioner intervened to prevent the matter from escalating. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Nets and Kyrie Irving would jointly donate five hundred thousand US Dollars to the Anti-Defamation League to support their anti-hate campaign. This was seen as a remedial step after all the fuss and issue.
Irving had also clarified his stance on the issue and mentioned that his intent was not to hurt anyone’s emotions or sentiments. One day later, journalists asked Irving about the issue again and expected a public apology from him regarding the critical matter. However, Irving seemed rigid in his response and chose not to apologize for his mistake.
Five Match Ban
This started a new storm which ended in a five-match ban for Kyrie Irving. The franchise administration intervened, and the Brooklyn Nets publicly announced that Kyrie Irving would be banned for at least 5 matches. Moreover, it was mentioned that Irving would not be allowed to return to the setup until he had taken sufficient remedial steps to make up for his antisemitic posts.
Apology on Instagram
Irving reacted to the ban and posted a public apology for his mistake. In his post on Instagram, Irving expressed emotions of being ‘deeply sorry for his mistake and apologized for the ‘hurt and pain’ that Jewish Community had to endure due to his post. He further added that he would learn from the unfortunate happenings and be more cautious and conscious in the future.
While the antisemitic nature of the post makes it a very controversial and critical matter, let’s hope that the issue gets resolved without any further damage.
While Irving has apologized for his mistake, one thing is pretty certain the five-match ban will stay, and Irving won’t be in action during the next few games.