Kyrie Irving must complete a list of tasks before he can return to the Nets, report says

BROOKLYN, New York (PIX11) --- The Brooklyn Nets have told star guard Kyrie Irving that he must complete six steps before he can return to the team, according to a report in The Athletic on Saturday night.

The report said that Irving, who is currently suspended by the Nets for at least five games without pay for failing to say he has no antisemitic beliefs, will have complete the following tasks:

• "Issue an apology for posting a link to the movie on Oct. 27, condemn the harmful and false content and make clear that he does not have anti-Jewish beliefs."
• "Complete the anti-hate causes that Irving, the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League agreed upon in their joint release on Nov. 2 — including a $500,000 donation toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in communities."
• "Complete sensitivity training created by the Nets."
• "Complete antisemitic/anti-hate training designed by the Nets."
• "Meet with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, as well as Jewish community leaders in Brooklyn."
• "After completing 1 to 5, meet with owner Joe Tsai and lead franchise officials and demonstrate the lessons learned and that the gravity of the harm caused in the situation is understood, and provide assurances that this type of behavior will not be repeated."

The controversy began last month when Irving used his Twitter feed to promote a documentary featuring antisemitic content. The team suspended Irving without pay for a minimum of five games Thursday evening for refusing to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs” during a media session earlier in the day.

Hours after the suspension was announced, Irving apologized.

“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote in an Instagram post.

On Friday, Nike announced it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard.

“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. “To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8.”

Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.