Kanye West's Talent Agency Loses Super Bowl Champ and NBA All-Star
As the artist formerly known as Kanye West continues to face a backlash for his recent comments concerning Jewish people, two sports stars have announced they are cutting ties with Ye’s sports agency, Donda Sports.
The announcements by NFL defensive tackle Aaron Donald and NBA player Jaylen Brown came after Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga, Vogue and others already severed their relationships with Ye, Business Insider reported.
His tweeted comments regarding Jewish people drove many to break with the rapper and fashion designer.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” Ye tweeted on Oct. 8.
“The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also,” he said. “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Surely there’s no Kanye fan dumb enough to defend this.
…surely! pic.twitter.com/jnMJhkrlZk
— anthony “light 1” fantano (@theneedledrop) October 9, 2022
The tweet was later removed by Twitter, Insider reported.
The social media platform also locked Ye’s account. He cannot post anymore but his profile can still be seen.
Since then, many have rebuked the rapper for the comments.
Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, announced his decision to cut ties with Donda Sports on Tuesday.
“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” he and his wife, Erica, said in a statement shared on Twitter. “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.”
— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) October 25, 2022
Brown, a 2021 All-Star with the Boston Celtics, told the Boston Globe on Monday that he wouldn’t be leaving Donda, but he soon reversed course.
“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,” he said in a statement shared on Twitter on Tuesday. “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 any 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 my 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.”
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) October 25, 2022
The considerable backlash to his comments and the relationships that have been severed with Ye have diminished not just his public image but also his finances, Forbes reported Tuesday.
The Adidas deal alone accounted for about $1.5 billion of the rapper’s net worth, according to the outlet.
Despite all this, Ye told Piers Morgan in an interview Oct. 19 that he did not regret his comments.
Morgan asked if he was sorry and the rapper responded, “No. Absolutely not.”
“You should be,” the host said.
“Absolutely not,” Ye once again said. He said he knew the remarks were “racist” but he “fought fire with fire.”
However, the rapper added, “I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the defcon — the confusion that I caused. I feel like I caused hurt and confusion, and I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through.”
“I will say I’m sorry for the people I hurt…
“Hurt people hurt people, and I was hurt.”
Don’t miss a preview of Piers Morgan’s extraordinary interview with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, on TalkTV at 8pm.@piersmorgan | @kanyewest | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/qdhwQ5OFTU
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) October 19, 2022
Ye also caused a stir earlier this month when he wore a shirt that said “White Lives Matter” at a fashion event in Paris.
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