ADL Says It Can't Accept Kyrie Irving's $500K Donation 'in Good Conscience'

In the wake of Irving's decision to promote an antisemitic piece of media, the Anti-Defamation League will not accept his $500,000 donation.

Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of the ADL.

Jonathan Greenblatt @JGreenblattADL

We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions. @ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation.

On the same day the Nets suspended Irving for five games without pay, his statement came.

Both Irving and the organization committed to donating $500,000 each to "causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities."

Irving shared a link to a movie about black America. According to Rolling Stone's Jon Blistein, it is a "purported documentary" that is filled with antisemitic stereotypes and ideas in line with more extreme groups of the Black Hebrew Israelites.

Pablo Torre @PabloTorre

So, to be extraordinarily clear here: the quote is (obviously!) fake. Hitler did NOT believe Black people are “The Jewels of God.” They spelled “Adolf” wrong. The citation itself is overflowing with brain-worms.

But this screenshot is *actually from the movie*. Which says a lot!

Pablo Torre @PabloTorre

P.S. This is from the book that the movie is based on. It's written by the same director, and it has the exact same title. He calls the fact that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust one of "five major falsehoods" (and blames "the Jewish controlled media"). Not subtle! pic.twitter.com/1rorzaIaDl

Irving did not apologize for sharing the link.

I don't know if I did anything Illegal. I don't know if I harmed anyone. He was asked if he was going to say that he hates one group of people. Whether you want to watch it or not is up to you. Every day there is something posted. Don't treat me differently because I'm the same as the next person.

On Thursday, he doubled down on that stance.

Nick Friedell @NickFriedell

Many around the league and within the Nets organization were hoping that Kyrie would say at least these two things today: 1. “I’m sorry.”2. “I don’t have anti-Semitic beliefs.”

That did not happen.

Nets Videos @SNYNets

"I'm a beacon of light. I'm not afraid of these mics, these cameras. Any label you put on me I'm able to dismiss because I study. I know the Oxford dictionary."

Kyrie Irving with a lengthy answer on the public reaction to his sharing of an anti-Semitic film on social media: pic.twitter.com/JgG9hOFQiU

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was disappointed that he had not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content in the film. In the next week, I will meet with Kyrie to discuss this situation.