Both Kyrie Irving and Kanye West are familiar with the names in headlines, but recent months haven't been kind. Several of West's business partnerships came to an abrupt end following anti-Semitic remarks. The Rap mogul would apologize and double down on his sentiments, resulting in a backlash unlike any other kind in his career.
Meanwhile, Irving found himself swept up in a whirlwind of controversy all his own. He promoted and publicly supported a film widely hailed as anti-Semitic, and he has been dealing with the aftermath. Shannon Sharpe's impassioned take questioned why the two men were severely punished. More so, said Sharpe, than other races who have said, done, and acted violently again the Black community.
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"I don't speak for everybody in the Black community," Sharpe began. "But let me tell you why some of the Black people are rallying behind Kyrie and Kanye. It's because when Blacks have a misstep, it seems that we suffer the harshest penalties."
"You see other groups offend Blacks, and they never suffer the penalty that Kyrie and Kanye have suffered," he continued. Sharpe argued Black people are held to a different standard, even after apologizing. "He or she said they were sorry. Why can't we get the same benefit of the doubt?"
Furthermore, Sharpe added that although he believes Irving was "wrong," he still thinks "the punishment was excessive." Sharpe also mentioned former President Donald Trump, who made incendiary remarks about the Jewish community. "After what President Trump has said about the American Jews versus the Israeli Jews, and what he's tweeted, and what he's posted. And he ain't got canceled yet."
Read More: Stephen A. Smith Says There’s A “Knee On Kyrie’s Neck”
"We've seen instances where they have done things, they never been canceled," he continued. "They canceled us, no questions asked. There's not enough apologies. Kyrie can get on his bended knee. He can come to the people in the most humble way he know how. Bowed head, humble heart, and bent knee. And that's still not enough for some."
Sharpe's video received rousing applause from supporters who agreed with his take. Do you agree? Check out the video below.
