AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh
The Anti-Defamation League will not accept the $500,000 donation Kyrie Irving plans to make following his decision to promote anti-Semitic media.
ADL Executive Director Jonathan Greenblatt released the following statement:
Jonathan Greenblatt @JGreenblattADL
We were optimistic, but after the failure of a press conference, it became clear that Kyrie did not feel responsible for his actions. @ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation.
His statement came the same day the Nets suspended Irving for a minimum of five games without pay over his refusal to apologize or directly condemn anti-Semitism over the past few days.
The Nets, Irving and the ADL had previously released joint statement in which both Irving and the organization pledged to donate $500,000 each to “causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.”
Irving shared a link last week to the 2018 film Jews to Negroes: Awaken Black America. According to Rolling StoneJohn Blistein, it’s an “alleged documentary” that is “crammed with anti-Semitic tropes” and “ideas in line with the more extreme factions of Black Jewish Israelis who have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia and especially anti-Semitism.” “
Pablo Torre @Pablo Torre
PS This is from the book the movie is based on. It was written by the same director and has the exact same title. He calls the fact that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust one of the “five major lies” (and blames the “Jewish-controlled media”). Not subtle! pic.twitter.com/1rorzaIaDl
However, instead of apologizing for sharing the link, Irving hit back at the backlash he received.
“Did I do something illegal? Did I hurt somebody, hurt somebody? Do I come out and say I hate a certain group of people?” he told reporters Saturday. “It’s on Amazon, a public platform, whether you want to watch it or not is up to you. There are things posted every day. I’m no different than the next human being, so don’t treat me any different.”
He doubled down on that position on Thursday:
Nets Videos @SNYNets
“I am a beacon of light. I’m not afraid of these microphones, these cameras. Any label you put on me I can reject because I’m learning. I know the Oxford Dictionary.’
Kyrie Irving with a lengthy response to the public reaction to the sharing of an anti-Semitic film on social media: pic.twitter.com/JgG9hOFQiU
“I am disappointed that he did not offer an unconditional apology and specifically condemn the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to promote,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said it said in a statement Thursday. “I will meet with Kyrie in person next week to discuss this situation.”
Irving later apologized in a statement on Instagram Thursday night.