Why has Kyrie Irving been suspended by the Nets? How long will he be out?

The Brooklyn Nets have moved to suspend Kyrie Iriving after he posted links to an antisemitic documentary and books and refused to disavow conspiracies against the Jewish people.

Irving’s latest interview landed him a suspension

This suspension comes after an interview given by the athlete where he was asked if he held any antisemitic beliefs and responded, “I can’t be antisemitic if I know where I come from.” This has many possible interpretations, but some see parallels to comments made by Kanye West, who recently made false claims that Black people cannot be antisemitic because they are Jewish.

The new comments came as a shock to the NBA team, who released a joint statement with the player and the Anti-Defamation League yesterday.

In that statement, Irving said that he opposes “all forms of hatred and oppression and stands strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day.” These are sentiments similar to those shared by the player today, accusing the interviewers of focusing so much on his posts and not on the plight of Black communities, not only in the US but around the world. While the resentment felt may be justified, Irving has misdirected his anger at the Jewish people and chosen not to clarify his position.

In the press release put out yesterday, Kyrie also voiced his “willingness to learn,” and that he and his family “meant no harm to any one group, race, or religion of people.”

Irving did say that he took responsibility and that there were “some things that were questionable [and] untrue” in the documentary. However, he then said that he does not believe everything he sees on the internet, a sign for some that he was downplaying the significance of the post. For the record, the documentary denied the holocaust.

Net’s respondong to Irving’s comments.... again

The Net’s released a statement saying they were “dismayed” that “when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film.”

“This was not the first time he had the opportunity - but failed - to clarify.”

While the resentment felt may be justified, Irving has misdirected his anger at the Jewish people and chosen not to clarify his position.

How long will the suspension last?

Many critics and NBA fans offended by Irving’s behavior had pushed the team to suspend the player earlier, but team leaders said that they were attempting to speak to with player to explain better why his comments had caused such hurt to some communities.

The team did not provide a timeline for when Irving may return, saying that at this point, they see Irving as “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”

Irving will remain “suspended without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”

So, at a minimum, it will be a few weeks before he is back on the court.