Back in May, Aaron Donald became the first professional athlete to sign with Kanye West’s sports marketing agency, Donda Sports. However, Donald has decided to end his deal with West’s agency early following the rapper’s recent antisemitic comments.
West has been dropped by several major companies since making his hateful remarks, including adidas and his own talent agency, CAA.
Donald released a statement on Tuesday announcing his decision, saying he wants to send a message that “hateful words and actions have consequences.” He also said Kanye’s recent comments and “displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children.”
You can read Donald’s full statement below.
— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) October 25, 2022
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who also signed with Donda Sports this year, announced Tuesday that he too has dropped the agency. Brown denounced West’s comments earlier before parting ways with Donda Sports.
When Donald originally announced his deal with Donda Sports, he said he like the “family atmosphere” Donda brought.
“It was an opportunity that came to us, me and (my wife), and it made sense,” he said. “And hearing the whole spectrum of everything that’s going on and what they were going to be bringing, the family atmosphere that they got in Donda Sports. Not just me, but my wife being a part of that. For me, it was a no-brainer.”
