Meyers Leonard found himself at the center of controversy this past week as he went on his own Twitch channel and yelled an anti-semitic slur while playing a video game. The clip immediately went viral and now, Leonard has been suspended indefinitely from the Heat, and he’ll also have to pay a $50,000 fine while also attending the NBA’s cultural diversity program.
Today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver weighed in on the matter and noted that the league will not tolerate any sort of racism or discriminatory actions. Silver noted that what Leonard said has “no place” in society and that the league will always make sure to punish such actions.
“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” Silver said. “Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful. We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league — equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect — at all times moving forward.”
Leonard has apologized for the comments but at this point, the damage has already been done. Only time will tell whether or not he will be able to continue his NBA career.
