Miami Heat star Meyers Leonard has been banned from Twitch and dropped by sponsors after shockingly using an antisemitic slur during a Call of Duty: Warzone stream.
The 29-year-old basketball player had 58,000 followers on the live-streaming platform before his account was deleted.
Advert
Leonard held a Twitch session on Monday while playing Warzone before unleashing an X-rated rant, which included an antisemitic slur.
"F***ing cowards, don't f***ing snipe me, you f***ing k**e b***h," he said.
The clip of Leonard's outburst became viral on social media and amassed millions of views.
However, the former Portland Trail Blazers player has landed himself in hot water with current side Miami Heat, who said he would be "away from the team indefinitely."
Miami Heat said in a statement: "The Miami Heat vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech.
Advert
"The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise.
"To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities.
"Meyers Leonard will be away from the team indefinitely. The Miami Heat will cooperate with the NBA while it conducts its investigation."
Leonard took to Instagram to issue a statement, saying that he "didn't know what the word meant at the time."
Advert
The NBA star wrote to his 373k followers: "I am deeply sorry for using an antisemitic slur during a live stream yesterday.
"While I didn't know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong.
"I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it."
The repercussions of Leonard's comment continue to be felt as popular esports organisation FaZe Clan has now 'cut ties with him.'
Advert
Leonard was not a member of FaZe, but he had invested in the esports organisation in 2019.
"We were incredibly disappointed to hear Meyers' stream today," FaZe said in a statement.
"FaZe does not tolerate hate speech or discriminatory language of any kind. While Meyers is not a member of FaZe, we are cutting ties with him."
Leonard has felt further backlash from gaming companies like Astro Gaming, Origin PC and Scuf Gaming, who have all ended their partnerships with him.
Advert
Astro, Origin and Scuf all confirmed in separate tweets that they had terminated their respective relationships with Leonard.
The NBA is also conducting an investigation into Leonard's actions.
Featured Image Credit: Twitch/PATopics: GAMING, Basketball, NBA, Miami Heat
