The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving indefinitely on Thursday night, leading Irving to issue a long-awaited apology to the Jewish community for promoting an antisemitic film.
It was team governor Joe Tsai who first called out Irving publicly on Twitter on October 29th, writing that he wanted to sit down and discuss the situation with Irving.
In the following days, as Irving’s comments in the media exacerbated the situation, Tsai reportedly wanted to give Irving a chance to try to remedy the situation, and reportedly resisted pressure to punish Irving sooner.
As ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday, however, Tsai’s attempts to reach out to Irving personally were met with silence. According to ESPN, Irving did not return any of Tsai’s messages.
Via ESPN:
“Against the backdrop of calls for swift action, sources said Tsai had resisted and insisted on taking time to educate Irving on the horrors of antisemitism. He’d enlisted the counsel of the Anti-Defamation League, watched the full 3½ hours of the hate-filled movie Irving had shared.
…. As it turned out, the redemptive arc that Tsai had imagined for his star had devolved into what the owner felt was a repetitive exercise in Irving’s betrayal of good faith, sources said. For nearly a week, Tsai kept extending the clock to give Irving a chance to get this right for himself, the franchise and the Jewish community — and Irving never returned a single of his text messages, sources said.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks said Friday that if Irving is willing to take the steps laid out to him by the team, which include “objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct,” the organization will then evaluate if Irving is ready to return.
Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks Friday morning in D.C. on Kyrie Irving: “The apology is a step in the right direction. It’s certainly not enough.” pic.twitter.com/H1Jtle5FAL
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) November 4, 2022
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