Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard will be separated from the team indefinitely, the organization said in a statement Tuesday night, as the NBA is investigating his anti-Semitic libel during a recent live broadcast of a video game.
In the video that came out Tuesday, Leonard can be heard saying, “Damn cowards, don’t kill me, damn it.”
“We just heard about the video and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. “The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
Leonard did not immediately respond to ESPN’s request for comment, although he later apologized, noting that the error “does not adequately reflect who I am,” while promising to do better.
“I deeply regret using an anti-Semitic slur on a live broadcast yesterday,” Leonard wrote in a statement on Instagram. Although 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 no excuse at all and I was wrong. I am more aware of its meaning now and I am committed to properly looking at people who can help me educate myself about this type of hatred and how we can combat it.
“I acknowledge and increase my mistake and there is no running away from something that is so painful for anyone else. This is not an adequate representation of who I am and I want to apologize to the Arisons, my teammates, the coaches, headquarters and everyone involved in the Miami Heat organization, my family, our loyal fans and other members of the Jewish community that I have hurt. I pledge to do better and know that my future actions will be more powerful than using this word.
An avid gamer, Leonard has repeatedly discussed over the years how much he enjoys having exchanges with fans on his Twitch feed.
Leonard has been absent since January 9 after sustaining a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended the season for him.