Online gaming events have led to some athletes getting in trouble for the language used on streams. In April, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson was suspended for using the N-word on a racing stream (he has since returned to the sport, and won the Penzoil 400 in Las Vegas Sunday), and on Tuesday, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard (previously featured in an April Washington Post piece about athletes known for their video game streaming) lost sponsors and faced disciplinary action over his use of an antisemetic (see the Anti-Defamation League’s spelling guide here) slur on a Call of Duty: Warzone stream. The slur Leonard uttered was k**e; video of that can be seen here.
Meyers Leonard says racial slurs while playing CoD pic.twitter.com/WHwUnbV0pR
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) March 9, 2021
As per Kevin Draper and Sopan Deb of The New York Times, that video appears to have been recorded Monday, but was publicized Tuesday. That led to Leonard suddenly signing off a different stream Tuesday with a “Be right back, I got to take a quick phone call” and then a “Yo, my wife needs me”: (screen
https://twitter.com/showmeyrtwittie/status/1369365145617657857
After that, Leonard deleted the Twitter post publicizing that stream, as well as many of his past Twitch gaming videos.
As many have noted, Leonard is a particularly significant figure to be caught using a slur considering his decision to stand for the national anthem in the 2020 NBA bubble, unlike all of his Heat teammates. He has said he stood because of his family’s military connections (his brother served in the Marines), and said “I STAND AGAINST bigotry, racism, and hate,” but that’s coming into some question after this slur usage. It is notable that Leonard apologized Tuesday night on Instagram, but with a weak “I didn’t know what that meant” apology:
Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard releases statement apologizing for saying anti-Semitic slur on a livestream: pic.twitter.com/AOi7ZE6nCy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 10, 2021
And it’s also notable that Leonard’s apology came after his gaming sponsors ORIGINPC and SCUF Gaming both said they would “cease their working relationship” with him. (They’re both owned by Corsair, which helps to explain the extremely similar statements.)
A comment was recently made by Meyers Leonard that does not reflect the values or views of ORIGIN PC. We have decided to cease our working relationship with Meyers as we look into it further.
— ORIGIN PC (@ORIGINPC) March 9, 2021
A comment was recently made by Meyers Leonard that does not reflect the values or views of SCUF. We have decided to cease our working relationship with Meyers as we look into it further.
— SCUF (@ScufGaming) March 9, 2021
And FaZe Clan, the esports team Leonard invested in in 2019, said they were cutting ties with him:
A statement from FaZe Clan. pic.twitter.com/ePo1NGEaN5
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) March 9, 2021
That apology from Leonard also came after both the NBA and the Heat announced they were looking into his comments:
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
Update: Here’s the Heat statement:
Statement from the Miami Heat on center Meyers Leonard: pic.twitter.com/RmRaLZ1bxR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 10, 2021
We’ll see if this winds up leading to further disciplinary action from the Heat, the NBA, or both. At the very least, it’s led to Leonard (who is out for the 2020-21 NBA season following season-ending shoulder surgery in February) losing some sponsors.
[SB Nation; The New York Times; top screengrab of Leonard’s departure from Tuesday’s stream via @bubbaprog]
