Kyrie Irving speaks out on ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud’ signs at Jazz game
Kyrie Irving has denied asking for “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” signs to be put away during the Utah Jazz’s Monday game against his Dallas Mavericks and said that he feels “no disrespect” for the rabbis who brought them to the arena, according to The Athletic.
“I wish him and his family well,” Irving said Wednesday of Rabbi Avremi Zippel, who was part of the group. “No disrespect going his way. That’s not my MO.”
Earlier this week, Rabbi Zippel raised concerns about how his family was treated by Jazz representatives. He said they were told to put away the signs soon after Irving noticed them and that they were then offered conflicting explanations for why they couldn’t have them in the front row.
“The question is whether there is a written policy that says in courtside seats there can be no signage. And if there is, does anyone know where that policy is listed?” Rabbi Zippel said during a Tuesday interview with the Deseret News.
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In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Utah Jazz tried to clear up confusion, noting that the team’s code of conduct licenses officials to remove signs from anywhere in the arena once they cause a distraction or disruption.
“During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with play of (the) game. As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs,” the statement said.
The team clarified that the content of the signs was not the issue.
“The part-time employee who told the fans it was the content of the sign that was the problem was incorrect. The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs,” the statement said.
Rabbi Zippel was not satisfied by the Jazz’s explanation and has continued to raise questions about what happened Monday on social media and in the press.
In an interview with The Athletic, he described Irving’s actions as “frustrating” and the Jazz organization’s response as “disappointing.”
“I think that it’s a limitless rule, and that’s kind of been the most frustrating part beyond the interaction with Kyrie and the fact that a sign like that bothers him,” he said. “The confusion from the organization has been, I think, the most disappointing part.”
