Nets Say Kyrie Irving’s Apology Isn’t Enough to End Suspension - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Nets defender Kyrie Irving, who was suspended indefinitely successful the fallout of his societal media posts promoting an antisemitic film, volition person to conscionable with Jewish leaders and with the squad earlier helium tin instrumentality to play, General Manager Sean Marks said Friday.

The comments came a time aft the squad announced it had suspended Irving without wage for astatine slightest 5 games due to the fact that helium “refused to unequivocally accidental helium has nary antisemitic beliefs, nor admit circumstantial hateful material” successful the movie helium posted astir past week.

“There is going to beryllium immoderate remedial steps and measures that person been enactment successful spot for him to, obviously, question immoderate counseling designated by the team,” Marks said, adding, “We’ll measure and spot if this is the close accidental to bring him back.”

On Friday, Nike, which has produced Irving’s fashionable signature footwear since 2014, announced that it had suspended its narration with him “effective immediately” and would not motorboat the adjacent mentation of his shoe, the Kyrie 8.

Last week, Irving posted a nexus connected Twitter to an antisemitic film and posted a screenshot of the movie’s online rental leafage connected Instagram. As fans, squad leaders and adjacent N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver called for Irving to apologize, Irving resisted until aft helium was suspended Thursday.

“I deliberation we started this disconnected by trying to enactment done an acquisition portion to this and amended each parties involved,” Marks said. “That evidently did not work.”

Hours aft the squad announced his suspension, Irving apologized successful a late-night station connected Instagram, saying, “To All Jewish families and Communities that are wounded and affected from my post, I americium profoundly atrocious to person caused you pain, and I apologize.”

Marks addressed reporters astatine a greeting shootaround Friday earlier a crippled against the Washington Wizards during a tumultuous week. The Nets are one of the worst teams successful the N.B.A., with a grounds of 3-6, and they fired their coach, Steve Nash, connected Tuesday.

Marks said Irving’s apology was a “step successful the close direction” but “certainly not enough.”

He added that helium had not spoken to Irving since helium apologized and that the Nets had not considered releasing him. As to whether Irving had shown immoderate willingness to fulfill the team’s mandates for his return, Marks said, “I deliberation we’re going to springiness him immoderate time, and it’s up to him.”

He continued: “His actions volition talk louder than words. And if helium wants to enactment successful that, we’ll spot wherever it each goes.”

Nets guardant Kevin Durant, the team’s champion player, besides addressed reporters Friday but did not knock Irving. Durant and Irving, who are friends, some joined the Nets successful 2019.

“I ain’t present to justice cipher oregon speech down connected the beingness oregon however they feel, their views oregon anything,” Durant said. “I conscionable didn’t similar thing that went on. I felt similar it was each unnecessary. I felt similar we could person conscionable kept playing hoops and kept quiescent arsenic an organization. I conscionable don’t similar nary of it.”

Asked if helium thought Irving’s suspension was unfair, Durant said, “I judge and spot successful the enactment to bash what’s right.”

“Just wanna clarify the statements I made astatine shootaround, I spot immoderate radical are confused,” Durant said. “I don’t condone hatred code oregon anti-semetism, I’m astir spreading emotion always. Our crippled Unites radical and I wanna marque definite that’s astatine the forefront.”

The backlash against the 30-year-old Irving began past week, erstwhile helium posted a nexus connected Twitter to the 2018 movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which promotes respective antisemitic tropes. On Saturday, aft a nonaccomplishment to the Indiana Pacers, Irving reiterated his enactment for the movie and for an antigovernment conspiracy mentation promoted by the Infowars big Alex Jones.

The Nets proprietor Joe Tsai and Jonathan Greenblatt, the main enforcement of the Anti-Defamation League, were among those who had criticized Irving for the post. Silver, the commissioner, called Irving’s station “reckless” and said that helium would conscionable with Irving soon. But adjacent aft Irving announced with the A.D.L. connected Wednesday that helium would donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes, helium spoke to reporters and declined to apologize. He acknowledged that determination were immoderate things successful the movie helium did not hold with, though helium did not specify what they were.

“Some of the disapproval of the Jewish religion and the community, for sure,” Irving said Thursday. “Some points made successful determination that were unfortunate.”

That was astir noon. Over the adjacent 12 hours, the Nets suspended him, saying helium was “unfit to beryllium associated” with the team, and Greenblatt said the A.D.L. could not “in bully conscience” judge his donation. (The donation announcement had not said that Irving’s funds, oregon an adjacent magnitude from the Nets, would spell to the A.D.L. A Nets spokesperson said aboriginal that the squad and the A.D.L. would enactment unneurotic to determine wherever the donations would go.)

Representative Yvette Clarke, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn, said successful a Twitter post that Irving’s suspension was “long overdue” and that antisemitism “has nary spot successful Brooklyn oregon anyplace else.”

On Friday afternoon, the movie was ranked No. 1 among documentaries connected Amazon, and a complementary publication with the aforesaid sanction was top-ranked successful the Christian acquisition category.

Irving said successful his apology that helium “initially reacted retired of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, alternatively of focusing connected the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters.”

The play astir Irving’s posts and present his lack person added to the woes of a reeling Nets squad that entered the play little than 3 weeks agone with title aspirations. On Friday, Durant spoke astir the relation the quality media has played successful Irving’s situation.

“This is the mode of the N.B.A. now,” Durant said. “So galore outlets now, and their stories deed beauteous accelerated now. So that’s wherever each the chaos is coming from — everybody’s opinions. Everybody has an sentiment connected the situation, and we’re proceeding it nonstop.

“But erstwhile the shot starts bouncing and we get into practice, nary of that worldly truly seeps into the gym. So that’s the chill portion astir being successful the league.”

Irving volition beryllium retired astatine slightest until Nov. 13, erstwhile the Nets volition beryllium successful Los Angeles to instrumentality connected the Lakers. This volition enactment overmuch of the team’s violative load connected the 34-year-old Durant. Ben Simmons, who starts astatine defender alongside Irving, has been injured for the past 2 games and is expected to miss astatine slightest 2 much games with near genu soreness.

The Nets besides person not announced a imperishable caput manager to regenerate Nash; the adjunct manager Jacque Vaughn has been filling successful since Nash was fired Tuesday.

Tania Ganguli contributed to this study from New York.