Kyrie Irving acknowledges ‘negative impact of my post’ in joint statement with Nets, ADL pledging $500K to causes fighting hate

Kyrie Irving released a joint statement alongside the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday addressing his promotion of an antisemitic film on his social media.

Irving and the Nets each pledged $500,000 “toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.” Irving acknowledged the “negative impact of my post” while stating that he doesn’t “believe everything said in the documentary was true.” The statement does not include an apology.

“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Irving’s statement reads. “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take responsibility.

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“I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light.”
The Nets superstar disappointed and angered many Nets fans — as well as others across the NBA landscape and beyond — with his promotion of Hebrews to Negroes, a four-year-old antisemitic video and a seven-year-old book on which the video is based. Then, on Saturday night, in a combative post-game media availability, Irving appeared to double down, refusing to remove the offending tweet. He ultimately removed it on Sunday night, which former Nets coach Steve Nash said was “helpful.”

Irving’s statement arrives six days after he initially promoted the movie on his Twitter account. According to Rolling Stone, the movie promotes tropes and “ideas in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism.”

Irving kept the tweet up for four days amid public backlash before deleting it. He defended the tweet in the interim with another tweet denying “the ‘Anti-Semitic’ label that is being pushed on me.” When asked about it for the first time at a news conference on Saturday, Irving was combative with ESPN’s Nick Friedell and replied: “I can post whatever I want.”

Nets owner Joseph Tsai condemned Irving’s tweet on his own Twitter account on Thursday writing that he was “disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation.”

Irving has continued to play in Nets games and faced no disciplinary measures from the Nets or the NBA. The Nets have shielded Irving from further media exposure since his Saturday news conference. He wasn’t made available for postgame media sessions on Monday or Tuesday. General manager Sean Marks told reporters on Tuesday that the team wanted to let Irving “simmer down” before meeting again with media.

“We don’t want to cause more fuss right now with more interaction with people,” Marks said.

The Nets addressed the situation in Wednesday’s joint statement with a statement from Sam Zussman, the CEO of Nets parent company BSE Global.

“There is no room for antisemitism, racism, false narratives or misguided attempts to create animosity and hate,” Zussman’s statement reads. “Now, more than ever, there is a pressing need to ensure education in these areas. We are putting our prior statements into practice because actions speak louder than words.”

In addition to their financial pledge, the Nets and their affiliate organizations pledged to “host a series of community conversations at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in partnership with ADL and other national civil rights organizations as well as local community associations.”

Kyrie Irving says he takes ‘responsibility’ for ‘negative impact’ generated by his tweet
In a joint statement issued early Wednesday evening, the Nets, Kyrie Irving and the Anti-Defamation League, Irving said he “takes responsibility” for the “negative impact” caused by his promotion of an antisemitic video last Thursday.

A number of media have noted that Irving never actually apologizes to anyone, rather “takes responsibility.”

He and the Nets also agreed to pay $1 million, half from the player and half from the team, to combat hate through “causes and organizations.” The ADL will work with the Nets and Irving on the program.

Here’s the full statement:

The events of the past week have sparked many emotions within the Nets organization, our Brooklyn community, and the nation. The public discourse that followed has brought greater awareness to the challenges we face as a society when it comes to combating hate and hate speech. We are ready to take on this challenge and we recognize that this is a unique moment to make a lasting impact.

To promote education within our community, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets will each donate $500,000 toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities. The Nets and Kyrie Irving will work with ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), a nonprofit organization devoted to fighting antisemitism and all types of hate that undermine justice and fair treatment for every individual. This is an effort to develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry.

Additionally, to ensure a sustainable and meaningful impact in driving awareness and education on the important topics of hatred based on race, ethnicity, and religion, the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and the teams’ affiliated organizations will host a series of community conversations at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in partnership with ADL and other national civil rights organizations as well as local community associations.