Aaron Donald leaves Kanye West's Donda Sports over antisemitic remarks
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) — Aaron Donald has parted ways with Donda Sports following offensive and antisemitic remarks from the artist formerly known as Kanye West.
On his personal Twitter account on Tuesday, the Pitt graduate and Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive tackle posted a joint statement from him and his wife, Erica, that read in part: "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. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family."
Donda Sports is Ye's sports marketing agency. Donald announced in May that he joined Donda Sports, which Ye founded and named after his late mother, according to CBS Sports. Donda Sports represented Donald only in his marketing deals, CBS Sports reports.
NBA star Jaylen Brown, who plays for the Boston Celtics, also announced Tuesday that he is leaving Donda Sports. Earlier in the day, Adidas ended its partnership with Ye.
For weeks, Ye has made antisemitic comments in interviews and social media, including a Twitter post earlier this month that he would soon go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON. He was suspended from both Twitter and Instagram.
Ye expressed some regret in an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman posted online Monday, in which he characterized his initial tweet as a mistake and apologized to "the Jewish community." An email message sent by the AP to a representative for Ye was not immediately returned Tuesday.
