Last week Nike elected to suspend its relationship with Kyrie Irving. Now, It turns out the relationship between both sides is most likely done for good. Nike co-founder Phil Knight shared on Thursday during an interview with CNBC.
“I would doubt that we go back,” co-founder Phil Knight said. “But I don’t know for sure.”
“He was dug in,” Knight said.
“Kyrie stepped over the line,” he added. “It’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship. And I was fine with that.”
This is just the latest in the fallout after Irving tweeted a link now deleted to a film about which anti-Semitic rhetoric was reported last month.
Nike also cancelled its plans to release his next signature shoe after the Nets suspended Irving for failing to, “unequivocally say he has no anti-Semitic beliefs.”
Irving got suspended for “no fewer than five games,” and he already missed four. Since then, he made a direct apology to the Jewish community.
Knight would later share in his CNBC interview,
He was dug in,” Knight said.
“Kyrie stepped over the line,” he added. “It’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship. And I was fine with that.”
This then prompted Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown to tweet, ‘Since when did Nike care about ethics?”
