Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown has defended Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) in a controversy over antisemitic comments, claiming Ye’s words have been “taken out of proportion by the media” .
Brown is the president of friend Ye’s Donda Sports company, which lost two of its major clients this week when Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown ditched the agency. But Brown has reiterated his commitment to Ye and Donda Sports.
“I remain true to the mission of Donda and our amazing staff and community,” Brown said in a statement posted on Twitter. “I remain dedicated to helping clarify statements taken out of proportion by the media. I remain committed to bringing new ideas, experiences, and designs to our world. I remain in support of the humanity that is Ye.”
Ye’s offensive comments followed the fallout from the ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt he wore during a fashion show in Paris.
One tweet by Ye read: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Ye has lost business partnerships with Adidas and Balenciaga over the comments, while the bank JPMorgan Chase also dropped his Yeezy brand.
“Over the past few weeks the world’s reactionary and selective outrage at comments in the media made by my brother, Ye, have inflamed and sparked rampant conversation and reflection,” Brown said. “I too have been able to reflect on statements that I and others in my circle have made that lack clarity in expressing my stance. The people and brands that have relentlessly profited from Black ideas and Black culture chose to distance themselves at a very specific time: a time that demonstrated their prioritization of certain groups over others.
“None of us in this world are free of judgment, yet we live in a time where scrutiny and pessimism have driven our dialogues on culture issues towards diatribes. Sensationalism and groupthink have forced people to not speak their minds and act out in fear rather than love. For these reasons, I stand by my dedication to freedom of speech, thought and opinion. I actively seek to coexist in places where I may have a difference of opinion because it’s diversity in thought that pushes humanity forward. Let me be clear, discrimination of any kind is an injustice to all people, which is exactly why I wish to issue this statement.”
