Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard was suspended from all team activities for a week and fined $ 50,000 after being caught using anti-Semitic slander while playing video games, according to the NBA.
The video started circulating online on Leonard’s Tuesday playing “Call of Duty” on Twitch. In the video, you can hear Leonard saying, “Cowards. Don’t shoot me, you f — ing k — b —-. “
The Heat on Tuesday night said the franchise “strongly condemns the use of any form of hate speech “and that Leonard would” stay away from the team indefinitely “.
But on Thursday, an NBA statement said he would be suspended from all heating installations and team activities for a week, in addition to being fined and required to participate in a cultural diversity program.
“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and painful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in the statement.
“Yesterday, he spoke with representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely sorry,” said Silver. “We further communicate to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he is expected to uphold the fundamental values of our league – equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect – at all times in the future.”
The Anti-Defamation League said in a post on Twitter that it was “shocked and disappointed to see @MeyersLeonard use this ugly, offensive #anti semite slander. “
And technology companies Astro Gaming, Origin PC and Scuf Gaming ended his sponsorship and working relationship with Leonard, an avid gamer.
Leonard apologized on Instagram, saying he didn’t know the meaning of the slander he used.
“Although I did not know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance of its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is not an excuse at all and I was just wrong,” wrote Leonard. “This is not an adequate 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.”
Heat owner Micky Arison and his son Nick, the organization’s CEO, are Jewish.
Leonard is a pivot in his ninth NBA season. In January, he suffered a shoulder injury and appeared in just three games for the Heat this year, the Associated Press reported.
Last summer, before the Miami Heat began its season playing the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World in Central Florida, Leonard stood up during the United States’ national anthem while most players and coaches chose to kneel.
Leonard told the AP at the time that he was unable to kneel because he supported the military. He added that his brother was a US Navy veteran who served on two trips to Afghanistan, but said he still supported the Black Lives Matter movement.
Wilson Wong contributed.