The Nets suspended Kyrie Irving without pay for at least five games Thursday following his repeated refusals to apologize for recently promoting an antisemitic documentary and book on social media.
The star guard has drawn heavy criticism since Oct. 29 when he posted a since-deleted tweet endorsing a new film based on a 2015 book titled Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Thursday’s discipline came less than 24 hours after a joint statement from Irving, the Nets and Anti-Defamation League announcing both the 11-year veteran and the team would each donate $500,000 to help “promote education” and combat hate speech by donating to causes and organizations that work to fight hate speech.
Following the news of Irving’s suspension, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued a statement to SNY’s Ian Begley stating the organization has chosen not to accept Irving’s donation after he again refused to apologize for his actions during a media session Thursday afternoon. Greenblatt later confirmed this on Twitter, saying, “ADL cannot in good conscience accept (the donation).”
