Nets tell Kyrie Irving to meet with Jewish leaders before returning from ban

Kyrie Irving’s belated apology over a tweet deemed anti-Semitic is a “step in the right direction,” Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday, but not enough to end the crime. minimum five-game suspension from the star point guard.

Marks addressed reporters during the morning shoot in Washington ahead of Friday’s game against the Wizards. The Nets director and former San Antonio Spurs player suspended Irving for at least five games on Thursday night. The All-Star point guard will not be reinstated until he “complies with a set of objective corrective actions that address the damaging impact of his behavior,” a team statement said.

Irving, who was criticized for failing to apologize for last week’s incendiary tweet, said in a statement on Thursday that he eventually regretted it, but only after he received his minimum five-game ban from the Nets.

While Marks considers the apology a good first step, the New Zealander stressed that he hopes Irving will meet with Jewish leaders before he can return.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Marks told reporters on Friday. “So he’s had some time, and more time to think about this is coming.”

“Some corrective steps and measures will be taken to get him honest advice, designated by the team, on how to deal with some anti-hate and some Jewish leaders within our community,” Marks continued. “He’s going to have to sit down with them, he’s going to have to sit down with the organization after that. And we will evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to get him back.”

Marks also said he has not considered releasing Irving.

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Irving last sparked controversy by tweeting a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” The film is based on a 2015 book of the same name, which Rolling Stone described as ” toxic anti-Semitic’. In particular, it cites Hitler to convince the public of the existence of a Jewish plan for world domination.

Since Irving posted the Amazon link to the film on Twitter, Irving has argued with the media, telling reporters, “I’m not going to resign myself to something I believe in.” He then appeared to come back on Sunday by deleting the post without explanation.

But after days of competing statements from Irving, the Nets, team owner Joe Tsai and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the club suspended the All-Star for at least five games.

In addition, the Anti-Defamation League rejected a proposed $500,000 donation from Irving, saying he “feels no responsibility for his actions.”

Although Irving has denied promoting the film, “Hebrews to Negroes” has become hugely popular since last week’s Twitter post. The film is currently Amazon’s bestseller in ethnic studies, and alternate versions or sequels currently occupy six of the next 10 places on that list, according to Front Office Sports.

Marks’ comments on Friday spelled a grueling week for the Nets manager, who fired head coach Steve Nash on Monday during the team’s 2-5 start. Marks is reportedly considering former Nets assistant and suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as a replacement. Udoka has been banned from Boston for the 2022-2023 season over an alleged inappropriate affair with a team staff.

Nets star Kevin Durant expressed his frustration at the situation to reporters on Friday.

“I’m not here to judge or talk down anyone about life or how they feel about their opinion,” Durant said. “I just didn’t like what happened. I felt like it wasn’t necessary at all. I had the feeling that as an organization we could have just kept playing basketball and silent.’

Durant later clarified his comments on Twitter after some backlash among fans who felt his quote was missing.

“I just want clarity on the statements I made during the shootaround,” Durant wrote. ‘I see some people are confused.. I don’t condone hate speech or anti-Semetism (sic), I always want to spread love. Our game unites people and I want to make sure that comes to the fore.’

Irving apologized late Thursday night for linking to the film on Twitter. In an Instagram statement, Irving said: “To all the Jewish families and communities who have been hurt and affected by my post, I am deeply sorry for hurting you and my apologies.

“I initially reacted emotionally to being unfairly labeled as anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters who were hurt by the hateful comments in the documentary.

“I had no intention of disparaging or perpetuating hatred of any Jewish cultural history related to the Holocaust. I learn from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between all of us. I am no different from any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I am.’

The Nets released an angry and frustrated statement earlier on Thursday night, saying the decision to suspend Irving stemmed from his continued lack of apologies, the latest refusal following a disastrous media crackdown on Thursday.

“We have decided that Kyrie will face a no-payment suspension until he complies with a set of objective corrective actions that address the harmful effects of his conduct and the suspension period is not less than five games,” Nets’ statement read in part.

“When given the opportunity in a media session today, we were stunned that Kyrie refused to state unequivocally that he has no anti-Semitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This wasn’t the first time he’d had the chance—but he failed—to clarify.

“Such a failure to reject anti-Semitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, goes against the values ​​of our organization and constitutes behavior that is harmful to the team. Therefore, we believe he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”