Posted on 11/05/2022 4:12:56 AM PDT by RandFan
Nike has suspended its relationship with NBA player Kyrie Irving after he promoted a film that includes antisemitic conspiracy theories last week and refused to say he does not have antisemitic beliefs.
The multinational shoe company said in a statement on Friday that it decided to suspend its relationship with Irving and cancel plans to launch the Kyrie 8 sneaker, which was set to be released as part of the partnership between Nike and Irving.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” Nike said.
“We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone,” it continued.
The announcement comes one day after Irving was suspended at least five games by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, for his failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
After Irving received backlash in response to his tweet linking to the film, which includes antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jewish people control the media and that the Holocaust didn’t happen, he initially denied that he is antisemitic and defended his posting of the film.
He later said he takes “full responsibility” for the “negative impact” he caused in promoting the film in a joint statement with the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League. He said in the statement that he and his team will donate $500,000 to organizations and causes that work to end hatred toward Jews
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Sounds like Irving’s tired of people trying to lead him around by the nose.
At the very least he’s not interested in people trying to put words in his mouth.
It’s as if virtue signaling is the law in the NBA. Where’s Sir Charles on all this?
AntiSemtic bastard, but I hate vancel culture.
Kowtowing to his ChiCom masters.
Sounds like something a plantation owner might have said to excuse slavery, doesn't it...
Nike is mad that Kyrie is making their huge mark up slave labor sneakers look bad
The number of hardcore liberals, at least ethnically jewish, whose policy prescriptions have had horrific effects on the black family over the past sixty years or so. These policies have been laid down over the decades with nary a “by your leave” given to the average black citizen. Sure, guys like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson made their deals with the liberal powerbrokers, and got their cut of the money, but have those “men of the cloth” ever been seen to shed a tear for anyone else in their “community” who wasn’t quick enough to shove their snout in the trough in a timely enough manner? Of course not.
Young black citizens with a modicum of success under their belt, athletic, artistic, economic or otherwise, who have no connection with the above-mentioned individuals or groups, and don’t see themselves as relying on them to any particular extent for the success of their future exploits, are not going to toe the line.
Sure, an evil group of areas does, but he is spouting Black Osralite Antisemtic nonsence just like Kanye.
“Everybody don’t have to pick every battle to fight,” Barkley said. “LeBron is passionate about the things he wants to be passionate about. We don’t get to tell him what we want him to talk about.”
Substitute “Kyrie” for “LeBron” in this utterance from Sir Charles, quoted in the article you cited, and would it not fit, as well as underscore my point?
He’s not spouting it.
He’s just not leaping to the rafters to condemn the people espousing it.
And it’s Antisemtic garbarge.
If Kyrie has some homework to do on the history of antisemitism, abroad or in the U.S., let him do it in his own time.
Education by firehouse, in this country, and in this day and age, usually ends up being 95-100% propaganda/narrative. Irving has integrity and is not interested in being forced to shill for anyone else’s political priorities.
On the whole I think you are dead right.
But Irving, being a grown man, doesn’t need to be lectured to, much less persecuted for being insufficiently condemnatory.
Ther’s no integrity in that kind of hate, but again, I dospise cancel culture.
This isn’t about anti-semitism.
Maybe One Guy is not perfectly well-informed on Irving’s overall body of philosophy, but his stance and steadfastness on the vexxines is still resonates.
I suspended my relationship with the NBA when … well I never had one. Being a short white boy from Philadelphia I played hockey in winter as a kid.
Gee, if only those who Nike supports (pays large sums of money) would just follow the party.... er, the company current woke agenda and not try to use that “free speech” thingy...... you know, kind of like how our Chinese workers stay in line.....
The AM guys on WFAN are beating this to death. It if the fans aren’t outraged the team can pretty much let it slide as they seemed to be trying to do.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.