Barkley sends a ‘Shout Out’ to Julian Edelman of the Patriots for His ‘Constructive Criticism and Compassion’.

On Tuesday, a video of Miami Heat star Meyers Leonard started doing the rounds on social media. In that video, Leonard was heard saying “F—ing cowards; don’t f—ing snipe me, you f—ing k— b—-.” out loud while streaming a game. He used an anti-semitic slur word which spread like wildfire right after the video was released. Leonard faced condemnation from many people, which includes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and New England Patriots’ Julian Edelman.

In fact, the NBA has reportedly fined Leonard $50,000 and banned him from all franchise activities for a week. He is also required to participate in a cultural diversity program. In a press conference regarding this incident, Adam Silver said, “Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. He will also be expected to uphold the core values of our league equality, tolerance, inclusion, and respect – at all times moving forward.”

“Sir Charles” praises Julian Edelman for his compassion:

After this incident went public, Julian Edelman issued an open letter to Meyers Leonard on his Twitter account. Charles Barkley praised the 34-year-old for his constructive criticism and compassion. He said, “Edelman wrote a really thought-provoking conversation. I think it was somewhere on Twitter. It was special. It was constructive criticism and also filled with compassion. Let him know that he screwed up. However, he also wanted to educate him. 

An open letter to @MeyersLeonard pic.twitter.com/bJcoupfbur

— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) March 10, 2021

He continued, “He actually did the same thing last year with Deshaun Jackson. And if you can criticize somebody and give them compassion, I admire that and respect that. We live in a society where cancel culture is rampant. I’m not a big believer in that.  In fact, I implore everybody to read Edelman’s letter.”

Meyers Leonard apologizes for his actions:

Leonard spoke with the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that was founded to fight anti-Semitism. It is a mandatory cultural diversity program with a multisession course that provides cultural, racial, and sensitivity training. Moreover, Leonard issued an apology on Instagram. He said, “I promise to do better and know that my future actions will be more powerful than my use of this word.”