Sports

Anti-Defamation League Refuses $500,000 Donation From Kyrie Irving

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Leena Nasir Entertainment Reporter
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) refused to accept a $500,000 donation they were poised to receive from NBA star Kyrie Irving in the wake of his refusal to denounce his antisemitic statements.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said Thursday on Twitter that the nonprofit was “optimistic but 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.”

Irving has been widely criticized for posting a video clip to his Twitter account that featured antisemitic comments and beliefs and then refused to apologize or take responsibility for the now-deleted post, according to Bleacher Report.

The Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving without pay and issued a statement to Twitter that read, in part, “Such failure to disavow anti-Semitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team.”

“Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets,” The Brooklyn Nets wrote in an official statement.

They concluded their tweet by saying, “We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”

Greenblatt released a statement Thursday addressing the situation.

“Good for @BrooklynNets. @KyrieIrving has been given ample opportunity to do the right thing, apologize and condemn #antisemitism,” Greenblatt wrote. “He has failed at almost every step along the way. This suspension is well-deserved.”

Irving’s post was a clip from the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which is a film full of antisemitic references, according to the Bleacher Report.

Greenblatt, the Nets, Irving, and the ADL had previously released a joint statement revealing that the Nets and Irving were each dedicating a $500,000 donation to the ADL in support of “causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities,” according to Bleacher Report. (RELATED: LA Officials Condemn Supporters Of Kanye West’s Anti-Semitic Speech)