Shortly before Kyrie Irving was introduced as the newest member of the Mavericks on Tuesday, the Daily Beast noted that Irving's apology on Instagram for promoting an anti-Semitic film had been deleted.
Asked about why it had been scrubbed from his Instagram page, Irving gave a somewhat vague answer to members of the media in Dallas.
"I delete a lot of things on my Instagram," Irving said. "I've had things that have happened before in my life, probably not as drastic as that moment, which led to a lot of confusion and uncertainty, I felt like, in what I meant and what I stand for. I had to sit up at these mics and explain to the world who I am, and I know who I am.
"I delete things all the time. It's no disrespect to anyone within the community, just living my life."
Irving drew heavy criticism after promoting the video, and after being unapologetic and confrontational with the media in New York amid backlash from members of the Jewish community and the Anti-Defamation League, he was suspended by the Nets until he completed a multi-step process that included meeting with Jewish leaders and publicly apologizing, which he did. but the All-Star has now deleted that apology now that he's been traded.
"I stand by who I am and why I apologized," Irving said when asked if he still stands by the apology he made. "I did it because I care about my family, and I have Jewish members of my family that care for me deeply. Did the media know that beforehand when they called me that word, anti-Semitic? No. did they know anything about me? No. everything was assumed, and everything was put out before I had anything to say, and I reacted, instead of responding emotionally maturely. I didn't have to be defensive or go at anybody. I stand by my apology and I stand by my people everywhere. All walks of life, all races, all religions, same thing."
"What was contained in there was contained in there, I didn't agree with everything, I've been up here saying that," Irving continued. "I'm just gonna keep it at that. My family is my family. If the media cared about my family - I'm not saying all the media, but if specific family members actually cared to do research instead of being the first to report on things, then they would know where I come from. The diversity of my family is beautiful, and I'm just gonna continue to focus on them, and when I'm on the court, try not to be distracted by y'all."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
