Rich Eisen responded to the latest controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving, who posted the link to a movie and book containing antisemitic tropes on his Twitter account.
During his Monday show (h/t New York Post), Eisen played audio of the full tense exchange between Irving and ESPN reporter Nick Friedell. Irving responded “don’t humanize me” when Friedell asked the Brooklyn Nets point guard why he promoted that material.
Eisen pushed back on Irving, who refused to “stand down” from his position.
“You’re dehumanizing me, Kyrie. I’m a Jewish man,” Eisen said. “Descendant of people who died in gas chambers and got incinerated by Nazis. You’re dehumanizing me by putting on your platform a book and movie that is filled with antisemitic tropes that are designed or eventually lead to the dehumanization of me, and my children, and my ancestors who died because they were Jewish.”
Eisen also took offense to Irving calling it “hilarious” that people paid so much attention to that post rather than anything else he shared on social media that day.
“It’s not funny, and I can’t believe I have to tell someone from Duke who’s clearly smart enough to know — you’re not promoting it with a tour — but when you put it in front of four million people who might not have known about it, you’re promoting it,” Eisen continued. “You’re giving it your platform. When you give it your platform, you may not agree with all of the things of the people who created the book or movie or theory that you say is true, you are now owning all of that person’s opinions.”
Eisen added that it’s “offensive” and “really scary” to see a famous athlete use his wide reach to normalize antisemitic beliefs. He pointed to cases of hate speech encouraged by Kanye West’s remarks, including a message projected onto TIAA Bank Field at the end of Saturday’s college football game between Georgia and Florida.
Nets owner Joe Tsai condemned Irving’s actions on Twitter, but the 30-year-old hasn’t faced any punishment by the team or league. Irving deleted the Twitter post and later wrote that calling him antisemitic is “not justified.”