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Kyrie Irving is already three games into his minimum five-game ban over his perceived support for an anti-Semitic film, but the players’ union is considering an appeal, arguing that the ban is too stringent.
The Brooklyn Nets suspended the star point guard last week after he tweeted a link to a film containing anti-Semitic tropes and even quotes Adolf Hitler discussing the existence of a supposed Jewish conspiracy for world domination. Irving offered a belated apology following his suspension, but only after several contentious exchanges with the media. In one instance, he told reporters: ‘I’m not going to stand down on anything I believe in.’
Dissatisfied with Irving’s response, Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks issued a minimum five-game ban for Irving, stipulating that he must satisfy ‘a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct’ before he can return to the team.
But the NBA Players Association is now expected to appeal, according to the union’s vice president, Jaylen Brown.
At issue, Brown told the Boston Globe, is that the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement does not offer any guidance on player punishments for posting on social media.
Kyrie Irving (right) is already three games into his minimum five-game ban over his perceived support for an anti-Semitic film, but the players’ union is considering an appeal, arguing that the ban is too stringent. At issue, NBPA vice president Jaylen Brown (left) told the Boston Globe , is that the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement does not offer any guidance on player punishments for posting on social media
‘There is an interesting distinction between what somebody says verbally and what somebody posts as a link on a platform with no description behind it,’ Brown said. ‘Some people will argue there’s no difference and some people will argue there is a difference. There’s no language in our CBA. There’s no rules against it. This is uncharted territory for everybody, and everybody is trying to figure out the difference between the two.’
Brown also defended Irving, his former teammate, against accusations of anti-Semitism.
‘I don’t believe Kyrie Irving is anti-Semitic,’ Brown said. ‘I don’t think people in our governing bodies think he’s anti-Semitic. He made a mistake. We understand from an outside perspective how important sensitivity is to not condone hate speech and not condone anything of that nature.
‘It’s sensitivity to the dialect around that. We don’t want to stand up for somebody in order to not condemn hate speech, but I don’t believe Kyrie Irving is anti-Semitic. And hopefully the NBA feels the same way.’
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press conference before an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday
This is the second time in the last few weeks that Brown has weighed in on controversy over anti-Semitism. Last month, the Celtics star dropped his business relationship with Donda Sport over anti-Semitic comments made by its founder, rapper Kanye West.
According to a report in The Athletic, Irving must complete six steps before he will be seen again in a Nets uniform again.
One step – an apology for linking to the movie – appears to have already been completed with the statement he posted on Instagram on Thursday night, which came after the Nets said he was suspended for at least five games.
Irving must also complete the anti-hate causes the Nets first mentioned on November 2. It included a $500,000 donation to the Anti-Defamation League, but last week, its CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said the organization could not accept the money while Irving refused to apologize.
The third step would see Irving complete sensitivity training and step four would be to complete anti-Semitic and hate training – both of which are created by the Nets.
Step five involves Irving meeting with Jewish community leaders in Brooklyn and then, in step six, he would meet with Tsai to demonstrate what he has learned.
Pelicans teammates Garrett Temple (left) and CJ McCollum (right),both high-ranking union members, have voiced support for Kyrie Irving following his suspension
Fans sat courtside at Monday’s Nets game wearing T-shirts reading ‘Fight anti-Semitism’
NBPA president CJ McCollum told The Athletic that the union is trying to move forward on the issue, albeit cautiously.
‘We’ve had a lot of engagement on this matter throughout the week and we feel that it’s best to step back and give thoughtful consideration before acting,’ said McCollum, a guard for the New Orleans Pelicans. ‘I think myself, it’s important for me to continue to gather more information, but it’s also important for me to allow the situation to continue to unfold.’
KYRIE IRVING’S TWEET SPARKS INTEREST IN ‘ANTI-SEMITIC’ FILM
Although Irving has denied promoting the film, ‘Hebrews to Negroes’ has skyrocketed in popularity since his October Twitter post. The documentary became Amazon’s top seller in Ethnic Studies, and alternate versions or sequels held several of the remaining spots on the top-10 list.
The Brooklyn Nets star caught the attention for publicizing the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ on social media with a link to its Amazon page
McCollum’s Pelicans teammate is another executive committee member, Garrett Temple, who told the Athletic that he believes Irving’s apology is sufficient.
‘First of all, we condemn any antisemitism or discrimination of any kind, any kind of hate speech,’ Temple said. ‘Kyrie went on his [Instagram] page and apologized. He had a proper apology, in my opinion,’ Pelicans veteran and executive committee member Garrett Temple told The Athletic. ‘He’s been accountable for his actions. At the end of the day, we’re going to let it take its course. We’re going to make sure everybody knows we don’t stand for any hate speech at all, no matter which way it goes.’
Irving also got support from Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.
‘Absolutely, and we know Kyrie to be a good person,’ Brogdon told The Athletic. ‘He came back, he apologized, and whatever happens is gonna happen at this point.’
‘I know Kyrie personally, I know that he’s not racist, I know that he’s not against any people,’ McCollum added. ‘In general, he’s been a beacon of light and has continued to figure out ways to provide not only educational opportunities, but also resources for people from all walks of life.’
Irving, too, is an executive committee member, and will be up for re-election during February’s All-Star break. McCollum will preside over that election.
‘I’m sure there’s things I would’ve liked to handle differently in regards to the situation, including Kyrie,’ McCollum said. ‘But we’re moving forward now and I think we’re heading in the right direction and hopefully we can put all this stuff behind us and continue to educate ourselves on lots of issues that have continued to happen and ways in which the Jewish community has been affected and figure out ways to continue to show people from all walks of life that we support them.
‘Know that we’re here to help them, that we’re here to condemn any hate towards them.’
The Anti-Defamation league rejected a proposed $500,000 donation from Irving, saying he ‘feels no accountability for his actions’
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