The Anti-Defamation League doesn’t want Kyrie Irving’s money, as ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt announced Thursday night on Twitter that they will not be accepting Irving's donation of $500,000 pledged on Wednesday.
The Nets and Irving each pledged to donate a half-million dollars to the ADL on Wednesday, Irving and the anti-hate group releasing a joint statement following Kyrie's contentious press conferences earlier this week related to his social media posts about a documentary that contained anti-Semitic propaganda.
However, after Kyrie held another press conference Thursday where he said he takes "full responsibility" for sharing something that had “unfortunate falsehoods" but once again refused to apologize or give a straightforward answer when asked if he has anti-Semitic beliefs, the Nets suspended Irving without pay for at least five games, until he "satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct."
Shortly after that suspension was announced, Greenblatt Tweeted that the group would be refusing Irving's money.
“After watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions. ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation,” Greenblatt wrote.
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The ADL's CEO also lauded the Nets for levying the suspension, calling it "well-deserved."
When asked during Thursday's presser about anti-Semitic beliefs, Irving said, “I respect and embrace all walks of life. I cannot be anti-Semitic if I know where I come from.”
Greenblatt had ripped Irving for that statement as well.
That is a substantial money for an organization to turn down, which speaks to their clear disbelief that Irving realizes what he’s done wrong.
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