The Miami Heat placed Meyers Leonard on indefinite leave on Tuesday, hours after a video of the reserve center was released using an anti-Jewish insult while broadcasting a video game.
Leonard called an opposing player “k-“, among other vulgarities, while playing “Call of Duty: Warzone” on Monday.
The NBA is investigating the 11-second video recorded on Twitch, the popular streaming platform for video game players.
“The Miami Heat vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech … to hear it from a Miami Heat player is particularly disappointing,” the team said in a statement Tuesday.
The 29-year-old later claimed he did not know what the epithet meant.
“My ignorance of its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is not an excuse and I was wrong,” Leonard wrote on Instagram.
The Anti-Defamation League, established in 1913 to combat anti-Semitism, said on Twitter that it was “shocked and disappointed” by Leonard’s use of the word.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Leonard averaged 3.3 points, 0.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes this season, before undergoing end-of-season surgery in January. , for a shoulder strain. It is unclear whether Leonard, who has a $ 9.4 million one-year contract, will be paid while away from the team.
Leonard is a passionate video game player and uses Twitch not only to register playing games, but also to connect with fans.
While Leonard’s status with the Heat is uncertain, the FaZe Clan eports organization said it is severing ties with the 7-meter investor.
Leonard also appeared in the summer when he was the only Heat player to stand during the national anthem, while his colleagues, many of whom were black, knelt to protest police brutality and social injustice.
Leonard, who wore a Black Lives Matter shirt, said he stood out from his brother who served two tours in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps.
“I am a compassionate human being and I truly love all people,” Leonard told the Associated Press at the time. “I cannot fully understand how our world, literally and figuratively, has turned into black and white. There is a line in the sand, so to speak: “If you are not on your knees, you are not with us.” And that’s not true. ”