The story of Myers Leonard, a Miami Heat player, continued to grab media attention tonight (Tuesday through Wednesday). As you may recall, the player who was one of the few during the NBA games in the bubble who decided not to kneel while playing the American Anthem, claimed at the time that this did not come from a place of disrespect for blacks, but that his brothers served in the military and did not want to harm their heritage.
Last night, Leonard was responsible for another controversial moment, when during an innocent video game he uttered the antisemitic curse KYKE (“Jew”, in free translation). Across the social network did not remain indifferent to the dubious statement on the part of the actor, and came the reaction of Miami as well.
“The Miami Heat strongly condemn the use of any form of hate speech,” the group said in a statement. “The words used by Myers Leonard were incorrect and we will not tolerate such language from anyone connected with the franchise. Hearing this from a Miami Heat player is particularly disappointing and offensive to anyone who works here. Leonard will not be part of the team until further notice after speaking antisemitically live.” In addition, Miami is cooperating with the NBA investigation.
Leonard He apologized in a statement on Instagram: “I deeply regret the use of the antisemitic curse during a live broadcast yesterday. He claimed he did not know what the word he used meant, but added:” My ignorance of history and how much the word hurts the Jewish community is definitely not an excuse and I just I was wrong. “
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 10, 2021