NBA star Kyrie Irving may file a grievance against his team, the Brooklyn Nets, for the eight-game suspension he served after promoting an anti-Semitic film on social media.
The Nets guard returned to game action Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzles, which the Nets won 127-115. During a postgame press conference, Irving responded to a reporter’s question about filing a grievance against the Nets.
“I’ve got to leave that to my legal team and leave it to the warriors I have around me,” Irving said, according to New York Times writer Sopan Deb.
“I have strong people, men and women, around me that are going to do everything possible to make sure that I am protected, and my family is protected, and we protect one another.”
“So you know, I’m sure some things will be done in the future. There’s no timetable on that right now.”
Sports Illustrated reported that the Nets required Irving to complete a number of tasks that the team described as “a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct” before being reinstated Sunday.
During Sunday’s pregame shootaround at the Barclays Center, Irving spoke about how he botched things regarding the controversy that led to his eight-game
suspension, the Associated Press reported.“I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or anti-Semitism or anything that is going against the human race,” Irving stated.
“I feel like we all should have an opportunity to speak for ourselves when things are assumed about us, and I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions because there was a way I should have handled all this and as I look back and reflect when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone that felt threatened or felt hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all.”
Irving also expressed his sentiments toward the situation during an interview with SportsNet New York ahead of his return Sunday night.