Meyers Leonard
Photo from heatnation.com
What was the accusation?
On March 8, 2021, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard uttered an anti-Semitic slur while livestreaming on the video game, Call of Duty. Leonard issued an apology on Tuesday and the Heat released a statement that read, “The Miami Heat vehemently condemn the use of any form of hate speech. 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.” Leonard was dropped by several sponsors including gaming companies, Astro Gaming, Origin PC, Scuf Gaming and eSports. He had signed a two-year contract, which paid him $9.4 million that season with the Heat holding a $10.2 million team option for next season.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Mortification, Defeasibility, Corrective Action, Bolstering
Transcript (Instagram)
“I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday. While I didn’t know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong. I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it. I acknowledge and own my mistake and there’s no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else. This is not a proper representation of who I am and I want to apologize to the Arisons, my teammates, coaches, front office, and everyone associated with the Miami Heat organization, to my family, to our loyal fans and to others in the Jewish community who I have hurt. I promise to do better and know that my future actions will be more powerful than my use of this word.”
Video
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Sources
BBC. (2021, March 10). Meyers Leonard: NBA player ‘deeply sorry’ for anti-Semitic slur. Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56346211
Helin, K. (2021, March 9). Heat’s Meyers Leonard apologizes for using anti-Semitic slur. Retrieved from NBC Sports: https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/03/09/heats-meyers-leonard-apologizes-for-using-anti-semitic-slur/
Macgregor, J. (2021, March 10). Meyers Leonard dropped by basketball team and sponsors after using antisemitic slur in Call of Duty stream. Retrieved from PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/meyers-leonard-dropped-by-basketball-team-and-sponsors-after-using-antisemitic-slur-in-call-of-duty-stream/
Martin, J., & Vera, A. (2021, March 9). NBA player Meyers Leonard apologizes for using anti-Semitic slur while livestreaming a video game. Retrieved from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/09/us/nba-meyers-leonard-slur-spt-trnd/index.html
TMZ. (2021, March 9). Sorry For Using Anti-Semitic Slur…’I Was Just Wrong’. Retrieved from TMZ Sports: https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/09/nba-meyers-leonard-appears-to-use-anti-semitic-slur-during-twitch-stream/
Winderman, I. (2021, March 9). Heat’s Leonard apologizes for anti-Jewish slur uttered during video-game play. Retrieved from South Florida Sun Sentinel: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/fl-sp-miami-heat-meyers-leonard-ethnic-slur-20210309-jyfddraqcnej3nay6by24mtui4-story.html