Meyers Leonard said Tuesday that he was unaware of the meaning of the anti-Semitic slur he used during a video game streaming session, and Julian Edelman has offered to help the Miami Heat big man gain a better understanding.
Edelman, who is Jewish, wrote an open letter to Leonard on Wednesday inviting him to meet with the New England Patriots star in Miami. Edelman said his goal is to “offer some perspective” rather than add to the criticism Leonard has received. He said he believes that Leonard used the anti-Semitic slur out of ignorance rather than hate but explained why he feels the former is more dangerous.
Here is the full letter:
An open letter to @MeyersLeonard pic.twitter.com/bJcoupfbur
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) March 10, 2021
Leonard was playing “Call Of Duty: Warzone” on his Twitch channel Monday and got upset. He began hurling some profanity, and that’s when the slur came out.
“F–ing cowards. Don’t f–ing snipe me, you f–ing K– b–c,” Leonard said.
Several hours after the incident was brought to light, Leonard issued an apology. He claimed he did not know what the slur meant.
If you remember, Edelman also reached out to fellow NFL star Desean Jackson after Jackson had some anti-Semitic Instagram posts last year.
Edelman has become an important figure in the Jewish community, especially for sports fans. He has said that he did not identify as Jewish until later in life, so he never really felt anti-Semitic slurs were directed at him growing up. You can see how passionate he is about his religion now.
