Jaylen Brown Backtracks As He & Aaron Donald Exit Kanye's Donda Sports

BYErika Marie6.9K Views
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Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four
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Just yesterday, Brown said he was staying with the agency, but today, he's had a change of heart & issued an apology.

There is no telling when their wave of cancelation will end for Kanye West, but he does have people sticking by his side. We can't escape the ongoing controversy involving West as his public persona has evolved from alleged music genius to anti-Semite in a matter of weeks. During his recent appearance on Drink Champs, Ye insisted that he can make anti-Semitic comments and that Adidas wouldn't dissolve their partnership, but we have learned that the Rap icon was mistaken.

We've continued to report on companies severing ties with West, including Adidas, The Gap, CAA, Def Jam, Vogue, Balenciaga, and a production company that created a documentary about the star. Still, West has a team of supporters that are standing by his side, and that was thought to include Boston Celtics baller Jaylen Brown.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Brown is signed to West's burgeoning Donda Sports, and although this has been a rough season for anyone associated with the hitmaker, in an interview with The Boston Globe, Brown said he was staying with the agency.

“First, I don’t condone any hurt, harm, or danger toward any group of people or individuals whatsoever,” said Brown. “I’ve been a member of my community, trying to uplift my community, and I’m going to continue to do that.”

"The reason why I signed with Donda Sports, it represented education, it represented activism, disruption. It represented single-parent households, and a lot more people are involved in something like that."

"A lot of people that I work with, work with their families, build love and respect for, spending time in the summer," he continued. "A lot of people involved. That’s what the organization from my vantage point from Donda Sports represented."

However, just as this news was making the rounds, TMZ reported that both Brown and Aaron Donald have officially announced that their names would no longer be on Donda Sports' roster.

"The recent comments and displays of hate and anti-Semitism 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," Donald reportedly said in a statement.

He continued: "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."

Brown echoed those sentiments while addressing the Globe interview that was published just yesterday (October 24).

"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. For that, I apologize."

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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.