Photo: Steven Ryan/Getty Images
Kyrie Irvingis continuing to feel the repercussions for promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter.
On Friday, Nike announced that the company will distance themselves from the NBA star, 30. The move comes shortly after theBrooklyn Netsannounced Thursday that they suspended Irving “for at least five games without pay.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, the athletic apparel brand says, “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8.”
He responded that some things in the film “were questionable.”
The statement read, in part: “To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.
According toRolling Stone,the film that Kyrie promoted on Twitter includesantisemitic tropes and stereotypes and features extreme views of Black Hebrew Israelites, who argue that Black people are the only true descendants of ancient Israelites.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silverannounced that he will be meeting with Irving later this week.
“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” he said in a statement shared on social media Thursday.
“While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize,” he added.
source: people.com
