The backlash and fallout from Kanye West’s antisemitic rants continued on Tuesday as multiple pro athletes who were repped by his Donda Sports marketing agency terminated that relationship.
West, who has a history of troubling comments to begin up, upped the ante a few weeks back by wearing a White Lives Matter shirt during a fashion show. He then began making a series of antisemitic comments with increasing regularity, to the point where hate groups were beginning to rally around him and his message. His business partners and sponsors started dropping him in droves and, finally, Adidas ended its relationship with him on Tuesday morning.
After the Adidas announcement, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said that while he didn’t condone West’s comments, he had no intention of ending the relationship.
“First, I don’t condone any hurt, harm, or danger toward any group of people or individuals whatsoever,” said Brown at the time. “I’ve been a member of my community, trying to uplift my community, and I’m going to continue to do that.”
However, Brown changed his tune by the afternoon and released a statement apologizing for his initial comments and saying that he would indeed cut ties with Donda.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) October 25, 2022
“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’s statement read. “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 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 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.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald also announced that he was terminating his marketing deal with Donda on Tuesday.
Rams star DT Aaron Donald terminates his relationship with Kanye West's Donda Sports. Adidas also dropped West https://t.co/pN8GzMmQUg
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) October 25, 2022
“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” wrote Donald. “The recent comments and displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family.
“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. 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.”
There may come a day when West attempts to rehab himself and his image, but, for now, he’s about as radioactive as you can possibly get and it seems unlikely that many pro athletes or sports leagues will want to associate with him for a long time.
