Kyrie Irving has spent the past week refusing to apologize for tweeting out a link to an antisemitic movie, growing increasingly defiant and defensive in press conferences when asked about it.
Irving and the Nets released a joint statement in which he said he took responsibility for the impact of his tweet, but the star still refused to issue an apology to the Jewish community, leading Adam Silver to criticize his statement and saying he will meet with Irving to discuss the situation. On Thursday, Irving again met with the media and was asked, point blank, if he had antisemitic beliefs, to which he refused to issue a direct answer. That was apparently the final straw for the Nets, as the team announced on Thursday night that Irving was being suspended for “at least five games” for continuing to refuse to “disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity,” and noting that he was “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
Nets statement pic.twitter.com/8movfKNRdT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2022
The Nets note in the statement that they hoped to educate Irving on why his tweet was so harmful but to this point he has refused to engage in those conversations — most notably sending representatives to meet with the Anti-Defamation League rather than meeting with them himself. As such, Irving will now sit out games without pay until he meets “a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct.”