Meyers Leonard got mired in controversy following the release of footage in which he used an anti-semitic slur.
Amid an outpouring of criticism, Leonard issued an apology online, urging fans he will do better in the future. Recently, Wizards rookie Deni Avdija (the highest draft pick ever from Israel) became the latest to respond to the whole situation, choosing to show a rather forgiving tone towards Meyers.
“Listen, I don’t really want to get into those kinds of things. But I think Meyers didn’t have those kinds of intentions,” Avdija said.
“I think he did a mistake, we know that. We don’t accept those words. But I know he’s a good dude and he didn’t mean to do that. Hopefully, he understood the mistake.”
Indeed, intent matters in these sorts of things. If Leonard sounded like he was deliberately attacking the Jewish community, it would call for a different reaction than if he just used the word out of ignorance.
With no history of discrimination (that we can tell) and an apology that seems sincere, giving Leonard the benefit of the doubt, in this case, seems like a good move.
Still, one has to hope that he has learned from the scandal — and that it will be the last time he uses a word like that again.
