Heat player knew slur’s meaning, needs to admit it

When it comes to the all-too-familiar genre of ethnic slur apologies, “I didn’t know what the word meant at the time” is certainly a new one.

That was the excuse the Heat’s Meyers Leonard used Tuesday in his “apology” for loudly using an anti-Semitic slur during a Twitch stream on Monday.

Leonard might not have explicitly known the detailed history of the word (heck, most Jews probably don’t), but he definitely knew what it meant.

Watching video of the incident, what’s most striking is Leonard, now suspended indefinitely by the Heat, seeming to pause beforehand to come up with something derogatory to say. It didn’t take him long to come up with that particular slur, a deep cut and not something that you hear regularly (or ever) in the 21st century.

That’s what made his apology all the more insincere and cowardly. You used the word, now own it. Why was it in your vocabulary to begin with? If you didn’t know what it meant, why say it?

Leonard had the opportunity to be honest, admit he knows its meaning, show remorse for using the word and start moving in the right direction. Instead, he took a regrettable way out.

Sure, Leonard checked some of the other bingo boxes in his apology (”committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it”).

If Leonard truly wants to be better, he needs to seek out a variety of voices in order to learn about the American Jewish experience. NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman offered some help. Have a private conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. WNBA star Sue Bird is one of the country’s leading voices for change and inclusion.

Surely whoever starts pointing Leonard in the right direction has good intentions, but it’s crucial he find avenues on his own. Otherwise, he’ll never learn.