Two Major Athletes Cut Ties With Kanye West’s Sports Company

Kanye West recently made anti-Semitic comments leading to various companies cutting ties with him. This has also led to two big athletes leaving West’s sports company Donda Sports. Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics are no longer with Donda Sports after signing with the company in May. 

“As parents and members of society, we felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings,” Donald wrote in a statement via Twitter. “We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race. We’ve had the pleasure of working with many incredible people along the way and hope to continue to use our platform to uplift and support other families, children and communities through positive outreach.” 

Brown’s decision came one day after he told the Boston Globe he would remain with Donda Sports despite not condoning the statements West has made in multiple interviews and on social media. “In the past 24 hours, I’ve been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my stance against recent insensitive public remarks and actions,” Brown said in a statement. 

“For that, I apologize. And in this, I seek to be as clear as possible. I have always, and will always, continue to stand strongly against any antisemitism, hate speech, misrepresentation, and oppressive rhetoric of any kind. In light of that, after sharing in conversations, I now recognize that there are times when my voice and my position can’t coexist in spaces that don’t correspond with my stance or my values. And, for that reason, I am terminating my association with Donda Sports.”

Donald and Brown’s decision to lead Donda Sports comes shortly after Adidas cut ties with West, who had a large clothing and apparel partnership with the company. Adidas said it would love $250 million this year in net income as a result of the move. According to Forbes, West had a net worth of $1.5 billion. But after losing Adidas, the 45-year-old rapper and music producer’s net worth has dropped to $400 million.