MIAMI — The Miami Heat said Tuesday night that Meyers Leonard will be away from the team indefinitely, sharply criticizing his use of an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game that was being livestreamed.
Leonard apologized for using the term, insisting he did not know what it meant when he used it Monday. The Heat learned of the matter Tuesday, and Leonard’s future with the team is now in serious doubt.
“The Miami Heat vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech,” the team statement said. “The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise. To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities.”
The team also said it will co-operate with the NBA’s investigation.
Leonard acknowledged that he used the term Monday while streaming. In his apology, posted on social media, he said “my ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong.”
Leonard also said he was apologizing to team managing general partner Micky Arison and his family, the team’s players, coaches and front office, his family and the Jewish community, among others.
“I acknowledge and own my mistake and there’s no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else,” Leonard wrote.
The video began circulating widely on social media Tuesday afternoon and the fallout was almost immediate, first with online criticism and then sharp rebukes by the league, the Heat and even other organizations.
“Unacceptable. Totally unacceptable,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks added that he believes the NBA “will do the right thing and address it.”
That seems quite possible. The NBA said it was “in the process of gathering more information.”
“The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech,” league spokesman Mike Bass said.
Leonard, a 7-foot centre in his ninth NBA season, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in January and appeared in only three games for the Heat this year. He could become a free agent this summer; the Heat hold a team option on him for next season worth about $10 million.
This is the second time in recent months that Leonard has been at the centre of a controversy.
Most players and coaches chose to kneel last summer for the playing of the U.S. and Canadian national anthems when the NBA season resumed inside a bubble at Walt Disney World in Central Florida. Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates.
“I am a compassionate human being and I truly love all people,” Leonard told The Associated Press at that time.
He added in that AP interview last summer, “I will continue to use my platform, my voice and my actions to show how much I care about the African American culture and for everyone. I live my life to serve and impact others in a positive way.”
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