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Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard will be “off the team indefinitely” after using an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game, according to the NBA franchise.
Video began circulating online Tuesday of Leonard playing “Call of Duty” on Twitch, a live streaming platform for gamers and content creators. In the video, Leonard can be heard saying, “F —— cowards. Don’t f —— snipe me, you f —— k — b —-. ”
The criticism was swift. The Anti-Defamation League said in a Twitter message that it was “shocked and disappointed to see @MeyersLeonard use this ugly and offensive #antisemtic insult.”
On Tuesday evening, the Heat offered its own rebuke to Leonard, saying the organization “vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech.”
“The words Meyers Leonard used were wrong and we will not tolerate any hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise,” the team said on its official Twitter page. “Hearing them from a Miami Heat player is particularly disappointing and hurtful for everyone who works here, as well as for the larger communities of South Florida, the Miami Heat and the NBA.”
Heat owner Mickey Arison and his son, Nick, CEO of the organization, are Jewish.
Leonard then apologized to them, saying in an Instagram post that he didn’t know what the word meant.
“I am deeply sorry that I used an anti-Semitic slur during a live broadcast yesterday,” he said. “While I didn’t know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance of its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely no excuse and I was simply wrong. I am now more aware of its meaning and am resolved to properly seek out people who can help me educate myself on this type of hate and how we can combat it. “
The NBA is “in the process of gathering more information,” league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. “The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
The Heat has said it will cooperate with the investigation.
Leonard is a center in his ninth NBA season. In January, he injured his shoulder and has only appeared in three Heat games this year, the Associated Press reported.
Last summer, before the Miami Heat started their season against the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World in Central Florida, Leonard stood up with his hand on his heart, while most of the players and coaches chose to kneel during the US national anthem.
Leonard told The Associated Press at the time that he couldn’t kneel because he was supporting the military. He added that his brother was a US Navy veteran who had toured Afghanistan twice, and said he still supports the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I’m a compassionate human being and I really love everyone,” Leonard said. “I will continue to use my platform, my voice and my actions to show how much I care about African American culture and for everyone else. I live my life to serve and have a positive impact on others. “
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