Two superstar professional athletes have decided to end their partnership with Donda Sports.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the first to announce his separation, while Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown decided to sever ties after rethinking his initial remarks. The move comes as many brands and big-name companies revealed that they ended partnerships with rapper Kanye West following his recent outburst and anti-Semitic comments.
On Tuesday, Donald and his wife Erica released a statement on Twitter outlining their reasons for leaving the agency.
“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,” Donald wrote. “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.
“We’ve had the pleasure of working with many incredible people along the way and hope to continue to use our platform to uplift and support other families, children and communities through positive outreach.”
According to Donald, he supported Kanye because he was his “friend” and a “cool dude.” He claimed the family atmosphere was also what pulled him in.
On the other hand, Brown made it clear he did not condone hate speech, as he revealed that he would stick with Donda Sports for what it represented for his community.
“I don’t condone any hurt, harm or danger toward any group of people or individuals whatsoever,” he said, adding that he wanted to stay with Donda Sports because “it represented education, it represented activism, disruption, it represented single-parent households, and a lot more people are involved in something like that.”
But later, Brown released a statement to explain his change of heart.
“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,” Brown wrote. “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.”
Despite his decision, Brown added that he wants to continue “providing mentorship, love, and support to the incredible children, faculty, and young athletes with whom I’ve been grateful to form bonds and relationships during my time with Donda Academy.”
