The Nets were widely criticized for taking so long to deliver a punishment to Kyrie Irving for promoting an anti-Semitic film and repeated refusals to directly apologize for it, and according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the delay stemmed from repeated attempts by ownership to communicate directly with the star point guard.
Per Wojnarowski, Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai’s text messages to Irving went unanswered for “nearly a week” as the controversy grew and Irving dug himself a deeper hole with each press conference, and after Irving declined an opportunity to firmly state that he did not have anti-Semitic beliefs on Thursday, Tsai had had enough, and delivered the suspension of at least five games.
Commissioner Adam Silver and Nets GM Sean Marks were reportedly pressing Tsai to deliver a punishment, but Tsai had held out hope that Irving would apologize and recognize the danger in promoting a film which Irving later admitted contained some “unfortunate falsehoods,” but communication between the franchise and Irving has been “channeled completely” through Irving’s agent and stepmother Shetellia Riley-Irving, according to Wojnarowski.
Irving had also reportedly distanced himself from the team as well, as Wojnarowski reports teammates and even opponents describing him as “in another world” and “distant” during his putrid four-point performance against the Bulls on Tuesday, and went further to say that he has been “distant to everyone” in recent days.
Now, Irving will be physically distant from the team as he serves his suspension, unable to return until he meets guidelines set by the team and sent to his agent. Per Wojnarowski, those landmarks include, “a public statement recognizing the film is antisemitic, an apology for supporting the film and the falsehoods within it, and training sessions on the dangers of hate speech.”
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