Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown are the latest people to cut ties with Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle announced Tuesday Twitter that he is parting ways with Ye’s marketing agency, Donda Sports, following the rapper’s “irresponsible” anti-Semitic remarks.
“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” read a statement from Donald and his wife, Erica Donald. “The recent comments and displays of hate and anti-Semitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them irresponsible and go against everything we believe in. as a family.”
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After initially saying he would stay with Donda Sports on Monday, Boston Celtics star Brown backtracked and announced the Twitter that he “also terminates (his) association with Donda Sports”.
“Over the past 24 hours, I have been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my position against recent insensitive public remarks and actions,” Brown wrote in a statement. “For this, I apologize. And in this, I seek to be as clear as possible. I have always, and will always continue, to stand firmly against all anti-Semitism, hate speech, misrepresentation and oppressive rhetoric. of any kind.”
Donald and Brown signed with Donda Sports, which focuses on marketing and off-field projects, in May. Wide receiver Antonio Brown announced in February that he had been named president of Donda Sports.
“Donda is about ownership, empowerment and finding the next superhero,” Antonio Brown wrote in February before attending Super Bowl 56 with Ye. “This is for the people who counted us out, for everyone who said we couldn’t – we say WE WILL.”
On Tuesday, Antonio Brown backed Ye amid the backlash and said he was still affiliated with Donda Sports.
“As president of Donda Sports, I remain,” Antonio Brown wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. “I remain committed to helping clarify statements taken out of proportion by the media. I remain committed to bringing new ideas, experiences, and understandings to our world. I remain supportive of the humanity that is Ye.”
Ye faced major fallout after sharing anti-Semitic sentiments on social media and in various interviews. The rapper was suspended from Twitter and Instagram earlier this month for violating their policies. Adidas ended its partnership and lucrative sneaker deal with Ye on Tuesday, knocking Ye off Forbes’ list of billionaires.
Ye’s talent agency, CAA, dropped him on Monday. Fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with him last week and JP Morgan Chase also ended their business relationship with the rapper.
“The Shop,” which stars LeBron James and Maverick Carter, also salvaged a recently taped interview with Ye because the rapper engaged in “more extremely dangerous hate speech and stereotyping,” Carter told Andscape.
Donald previously said he signed with Donda Sports because of his “family atmosphere”.
“It made sense to hear the full spectrum of everything that was going on, what they were going to bring, the family vibe they had at Donda Sports,” Donald said after signing in May. “For me it was a no-brainer, so I think it’s a hell of an opportunity to open a lot of different doors and a lot of different things outside of football that I want to be involved with.”
On Tuesday, however, the Donalds credited family as the main reason for leaving Donda Sports.
“As parents and members of society, we felt responsible for sending a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings,” Donald wrote. and his wife in their statement. “We do not believe that our beliefs, voices and actions belong in a space that distorts and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race.”
Contributors: Victoria Hernandez, Hannah Yasharoff
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