A video surfaced on Tuesday that showed Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard using an ethnic slur during a Call of Duty: Warzone stream. He used the K-word, an ethnically offensive term for Jewish people, and prompted a multitude of responses. New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was among this group, and he wrote an open letter to Leonard.
“So we’ve never met, I hope we can one day soon,” Edelman wrote. “I’m sure you’ve been getting lots of criticism for what you said. Not trying to add to that, I just want to offer some perspective.” The New England Patriots receiver then continued and explained the difference between using a slur out of hate as opposed to ignorance.
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“I get the sense that you didn’t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance,” Edelman continued. “Most likely, you weren’t trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That’s what makes it so destructive. When someone intends to be hateful, it’s usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.”
Edelman ended his open letter with an invitation to Leonard. He said that he often travels to Miami and that he would like to do a Shabbat dinner with Leonard and some friends. Edelman promised to show the Heat center a good time.
There have been several responses to the use of the ethnic slur after the video surfaced on social media. The Heat issued a statement condemning the use of hate speech. The team said that it would not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with the franchise and expressed disappointment in Leonard.
“Meyers Leonard will be away from the team indefinitely,” the Heat said in the statement. “The Miami Heat will cooperate with the NBA while it conducts its investigation.” The statement came after the league said that it was in the process of gathering information and that it condemns all forms of hate speech.
Leonard ultimately issued an apology on Tuesday evening. He posted a long message on Instagram and said that he didn’t know what the K-word meant at the time that he used it. Though Leonard acknowledged that he could not use ignorance as an excuse.
“I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday,” the NBA player wrote. “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.”
