Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard got put on the boiler on Tuesday, following the release of footage that included him using anti-Semitic language in a Twitch stream. With an NBA investigation pending, and his partnership with Origin PC terminated, he issued a lengthy apology on Twitter, urging the world that he will do better.
“I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday,” Leonard wrote. “While I 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. I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it.
I acknowledge and own my mistake and there’s no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else. This is not a proper representation of who I am and I want to apologize to the Arisons, my teammates, coaches, front office, and everyone associated with the Miami Heat organization, to my family, to our loyal fans and to others in the Jewish community who I have hurt. I promise to do better and know that my future actions will be more powerful than my use of this word.”
Meyers Leonard releases a statement on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/3821QeMTLh
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 10, 2021
The NBA has always prided itself on being inclusive and welcoming, so it’s no surprise if they end up handing out a fine (or worse) for Leonard’s hate speech, no matter his intentions behind it.
In today’s age, there is just no tolerance for that type of language.
Good on Leonard, though, to get out in front of this thing and acknowledge he was in the wrong.
