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Tim BontempsESPN
Boston Celtics in front of Jaylen Brown and Los Angeles Rams solve defense Aaron Donald The two announced Tuesday night that they will be leaving Donda Sports, the company founded by artist formerly known as Kanye West, due to hateful comments he recently made.
The announcements come hours after Adidas ended its relationship with the rapper, who is now known as Ye.
Brown’s decision came a day after he told Boston Globe he will stay with Donda Sports despite the fact that he does not accept Ye’s comments.
“Over the past 24 hours, I have been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lacked clarity in expressing my stance on the public’s insensitive comments and actions. recently,” Brown said Tuesday in a statement he released via Twitter. “For that, I apologize. And in this regard, I try to be as clear as possible. I am always, and will always be, strongly against any anti-Semitism, hate speech, transgression. slander and oppressive words of any kind.”
“So after sharing in conversations, I now realize that there are times when my voice and my place just can’t coexist in spaces that don’t align with my stance or values. And, for that reason, I terminate my association with Donda Sports.”
Donald also announced at the same time that his family would be leaving Donda Sports, saying Ye’s comments were “totally the opposite of how we choose to live and raise our children.”
“As parents and members of society, we feel a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as children. people,” Donald wrote in his statement via Twitter. “We don’t feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race. We’re happy. got to work with incredible people along the way and hope to continue using our platform to lift spirits and support other families, children and communities through a positive approach .”
Brown and Donald signed with Donda Sports in May.
Earlier on Tuesday, Adidas announced it would officially sever ties with Ye, who has developed an extremely lucrative clothing and apparel partnership with the company.
“Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other type of hate speech,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions are unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and equal.”
As part of its statement, Adidas said it would lose about $250 million in net income this year as a result of severing its partnership with Ye, but that was necessary in light of the hateful comments that it made. he has launched in recent weeks.
Ye has previously made controversial remarks on a variety of issues, including slavery and a COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this month, Ye posted on Twitter that he would soon be doing a “3 death war with the RICH,” an apparent reference to the US defense readiness ladder known as DEFCON. He has been suspended on both Twitter and Instagram.
His recent string of hateful comments has led several companies to sever ties with the rapper or his various businesses. Creative Artists Agency, Balenciaga, Gap and Foot Locker are among others who have ended their partnerships with him.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
