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Nets general manager Sean Marks said the organization is discussing — both internally and externally — an appropriate course of action for disciplining star guard Kyrie Irving after he posted antisemitic material on his social media feeds last week.
Marks said Nets owner Joe Tsai is talking to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Marks, along with the rest of the front office, is trying to find the best course of action after the widespread outrage and backlash following Irving’s post.
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“Part of it is going to be getting the sides together so they can understand where people are coming from,” Marks said hours after announcing the team had parted ways with head coach Steve Nash on Tuesday. “There’s an education piece for everybody here. There’s an empathetic piece to this and understanding that we need to move on and we need to do the right thing without a doubt.”
Irving posted a link to the movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on both his Instagram story and his Twitter page on Oct. 27 and didn’t delete it until Sunday night. Irving said he watched the movie and that, “history shouldn’t be hidden.” He also called Alex Jones’ theory on secret societies ruling the world “true.”
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Irving’s actions have been met with backlash at every level. On Monday, a row of fans wearing kippahs and t-shirts reading “Fight Antisemitism” sat courtside at Barclays Center.
“I’m completely empathetic to what’s going on here. I’m certainly not proud of the situation we find ourselves in, you know?” Marks said. “I would like to turn on ESPN or the TV on and not find you talking about us in that manner, to be quite frank. I’d like to get back to basketball. I think that’s what our players would like to get back to. They’d like to focus on the things that are important here, and that’s competing at the highest level and playing basketball games.
“So as it pertains to Kyrie, we are having discussions, some internal, some external discussions. I know from the highest levels [that] we’re involved with the ADL and getting their advice and just hopefully they can advise us. We can bring something to the table that both parties, all parties can be at least understandable to one another here and understand that there is no tolerance and no room for any hate speech, any antisemitic remarks whatsoever, whether it’s in this organization or any organization for that matter.”
