New England Patriots wide receiver wrote an open letter to the Miami Heat’s Meyers Leonard the day after video surfaced showing the basketball player uttering an Anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game.
Leonard has been asked to remain away from the team while it and the league investigates the incident.
An open letter to @MeyersLeonard pic.twitter.com/bJcoupfbur
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) March 10, 2021
Edelman wrote:
“I get the sense that you didn’t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren’t trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That’s what makes it so destructive. When someone intends to be hateful, it’s usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.”
Leonard posted an apology hours after the story went viral.
“I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday,” Leonard wrote in an Instagram post, adding that he didn’t know what the word meant at the time. “My ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong.”
Edelman took a similar interest in former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who was involved in Anti-Semitic social media posts last year.
Edelman and Jackson ended up talking after that, with Edelman later telling reporters: “We’ve stayed in touch. I think it was a healthy conversation. … I just wanted to not only show that I support my community but also show that I’m here to help people in my league, because we’re all one.”