Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard has been placed on indefinite leave from the team over his anti-Semitic language.
Perhaps Meyers Leonard should consider scrubbing certain words from his vocabulary for the next twenty months, much like Papa John’s former CEO ridiculously stated that he’s been doing following his “n-word” controversy. The Miami Heat forward was streaming himself playing Call of Duty with friends when he shouted an anti-Semitic slur, calling someone a “k*ke” before laughing. The move comes following Leonard’s decision to become the only player on the Miami Heat who stood during the National Anthem while the team was kneeling in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement during the NBA Playoffs.
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After the video of Meyers Leonard using a racist word on his stream went viral, people began to hold him accountable for his actions, calling for him to be fined heavily, or even cut from the team. Leonard issued an apology on Tuesday evening, but that wasn’t enough for fans of the Miami Heat, and especially the Jewish community, who was offended by Leonard’s slur. The Heat announced following Leonard’s apology that he would be punished immediately, leaving the team for an indefinite amount of time as the NBA investigates.
“The Miami HEAT vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech,” said the team in a statement. “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.
Meyers Leonard will be away from the team indefinitely. The Miami HEAT will cooperate with the NBA while it conducts its investigation.”
This is a developing story and we will keep you updated with more information as it becomes available.