Hours after being suspended indefinitely by the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving has finally apologized for sharing a link to an antisemitic movie on Instagram a week ago.
However, he stopped short of taking full responsibility for the post itself, instead declaring that he had been “unjustly” accused of antisemitism and chocking up the whole thing to his failure to clarify what he “agreed with and disagreed with” in the film.
Earlier in the day, Irving was suspended by the Nets after he refused to disavow antisemitism. In a statement the team said Irving was “unfit to be associated” with it, and called his refusal “disturbing,” “against the values of our organization” and “detrimental to the team.”
In his apology on Instagram Thursday night, Irving said in part, “I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.”
“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize.”
Irving said his initial refusal to apologize or disavow antisemitism is because he “reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism [sic] by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate.”
“I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.