Here we go again.
Even if you’re not familiar with the NBA, you may be familiar with Miami Heat reserve center Meyers Leonard.
During last year’s NBA bubble, the players started a shotgun challenge and Leonard emerged the beer chugging champ of the bubble, citing his being from “the sticks” as the reason for his chugging skills.
Had to ask @MeyersLeonard about being the Bubble Beer Chugging Champ. His answer didn’t disappoint. “No one can touch me brother.” pic.twitter.com/QFKPO1Hr50
— Clay Ferraro (@ClayWPLG) July 20, 2020
Leonard also made headlines when he was the only Heat player not to take a knee during the national anthem, a decision that he said was due to people like his brother in the military who fight for our country.
"I am with the Black Lives Matter movement and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country."
Meyers Leonard told the @AP why he could not bring himself to kneel for the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/F0sMrxlpA5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 1, 2020
Well unfortunately, Leonard is back in the headlines again – and not for anything good this time.
Leonard, who has over 69,000 followers on his Twitch account, was caught dropping an anti-Semitic slur during a Call of Duty: Warzone livestream on his channel this week.
Meyers Leonard says racial slurs while playing CoD pic.twitter.com/WHwUnbV0pR
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) March 9, 2021
“Fucking cowards. Don’t fucking snipe me! You fucking k–e bitch.”
Shortly after dropping the slur, Leonard received a phone call which he claims was from his wife and quickly ended the stream.
Dis dude Meyers Leonard called someone a racist slur and then got a phone call a little later and had to dip. Yeah, not a good look💀 pic.twitter.com/HQ05uGRIv7
— Harold🏂 (@WassupHarold) March 9, 2021
A spokesman for the Miami Heat said after the video surfaced that the team was reviewing the video, and the NBA also condemned the language used by Leonard and said they were “in the process of gathering more information.”
The Heat are reviewing video of center Meyers Leonard using an anti-Semitic slur earlier today while live-streaming his video-game play via Twitch, according to a team spokesman.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 9, 2021
NBA spokesman Mike Bass statement on Meyers Leonard, who said an anti-Semitic slur on a video game stream: “We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information. The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2021
In the meantime, Leonard has already lost his gaming sponsorship from computer company ORIGIN PC.
SLATER SCOOP: Meyers Leonard’s gaming sponsorship has been cancelled, a source tells me.
The computer company, ORIGIN PC, made the move after the Heat player used an anti-Semitic slur online.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) March 9, 2021
It’s a story that’s becoming all too familiar, with NASCAR driver Kyle Larson being fired from his team and suspended from the sport after dropping a racial slur on an iRacing livestream, and more recently Morgan Wallen getting caught dropping an n-bomb after a weekend bender.
It’s too early to know whether Leonard will face the same backlash that Larson and Wallen faced, but it seems like celebrities need to remember that in this day and age, just about everything they say or do could end up on video and ruin their careers.
Or maybe, you know… just don’t say racist things to begin with.
UPDATE:
Meyers has since issued the following apology:
Meyers Leonard releases a statement apologizing for his use of an anti-Semitic slur on a live stream pic.twitter.com/4iaTEdZCuL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 10, 2021
