Star Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown is no stranger to using his platform for good but has recently found some of his social media activity under scrutiny for ties to people promoting hateful views. This caught the attention of Boston Globe sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy, who wrote that he has “no interest in reading or hearing (Brown’s) well-intentioned words promoting social justice and spreading love” after the incidents in question.
“You’ve had three chances in the last month to denounce antisemitism and in each instance, you balked or chose to support your misguided friends, Kanye West, a.k.a “Ye,” and Kyrie Irving,” added the Globe reporter.
For clarity, Shaughnessy refers to the scandal that enveloped Ye after making antisemitic comments on social media, and Irving’s sharing of an antisemitic video he has since disavowed support for the hateful sentiments it contains.
“You do the best you can and balance everything,” suggested the Cal alum. “Regardless of what you say, some people are going to disagree or already form an opinion.” https://t.co/eS6NMbFjbA
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 25, 2022
“When you were first asked about dumping your affiliation with the hateful Ye’s Donda Sports Agency, you said you planned to stay with the agency because Ye was ‘dealing with a lot of adversity,'” he suggested.
Shaughnessy also took issue with Brown’s defense of Irving’s tweet of the video mentioned above, claims the Nets star was being unjustly punished, and his own retweet of a hate group using the scandal to promote their views.
The Celtics wing said he ‘was not aware’ of who the group was in the clip he retweeted. https://t.co/8rb0Ju5D4j
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 22, 2022
The Globe reporter followed up with what Celtics team president Brad Stevens said to him about the incident. “We regularly speak to the players about the responsibilities of their platforms,” offered the Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations.
“Jaylen has explicitly stated that he is against antisemitism and hate speech. Jaylen also has a strong history of using his platform to contribute positively to causes both local and national. Regarding the Kyrie Irving suspension, Jaylen has stated that he feels that in his role as vice president of the union he should protect and support players’ rights.”
“Understood,” said Shaugnessy. “But in this instance, Brown’s support of his friends brought him into conflict with his platform, and put him on the wrong side of universal issues of right and wrong.”
Jaylen Brown explains why he was proud to see people supporting Kyrie Irving. https://t.co/3c5jMeflge
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 21, 2022
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