Initially suspended for a minimum of five games for his tweet highlighting an anti-Semitic film, Kyrie Irving will not return to the Kings floor tonight. His total absences will thus amount to seven consecutive meetings, a total which is beginning to frustrate the players’ association (NBPA). So much so that the latter would consider stepping up to further defend the interests of Uncle Drew.
While the NBPA condemned all forms of hate speech in an official statement a few days following the Kyrie case began, it is visibly struggling to accept all the conditions that have been put in place by the Nets to allow the return of Kyrie. ‘Uncle Drew on the floors. As a reminder, in addition to the minimum five-game suspension imposed by the Brooklyn franchise, the latter also imposed six non-negotiable measures to Irving despite his apologies on Instagram, measures that many players do not validate according to the words of one of the union’s vice presidents Jaylen Brown. And while Nets owner Joe Tsai recently indicated via the New York Post that Kyrie still had “a lot of work to do to show that he is truly sorry”, the NBPA may well decide to step up a gear.
According l’insider Marc Steinthe players union – which had already considered appealing the suspension of the Nets a week ago – might indeed file a grievance if the current situation continues.
Legally, filing a grievance represents a means for a union to denounce a non-respect of a collective agreement (the CBA between the NBPA and the NBA in our case) by the employer, namely the Nets here. A few days ago, ESPN told us that a resolution was near following Kyrie Irving met several times with his Brooklyn franchise, League leaders and the players’ union, but obviously the optimism gave way to uncertainty following the Tsai’s recent remarks. If no common ground is found in the near future to allow Kyrie’s return, which we should not see on the field before November 20 at the earliestthis case might therefore take on an additional dimension.
For the moment, we are not there yet. And maybe we’ll never get to that point if the NBA, NBPA and the Nets manage to agree on an upcoming return date for Kyrie Irving. But while Uncle Drew would increasingly express his desire to return to the grounds ASAP, it is clear that the situation is complex and always filled with uncertainty.
“Tsai’s response is alarming to me. He didn’t say the franchise was working with Kyrie to get him back on the pitch. He said Kyrie still had work to do. As Vice President of the Players Union, it is part of my job to legally protect the players.
We are still on an indefinite suspension. Kyrie has already missed five or six games. […] Adam Silver and Joe Tsai have said publicly, in their own words, that they don’t think Kyrie is anti-Semitic. And he already apologized.
What does Joe Tsai mean when he says ‘Kyrie still has work to do’? Our whole society still has work to do, Joe Tsai included. »
– Jaylen Brown, via USA Today
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Source text: Marc Stein
