"I can assure you, I'm not posting a link to Mein Kampf" - Ariel Helwani hits out at Kyrie Irving over "embarrassing" anti-semitic post
MMA analyst Ariel Helwani has hit back at Kyrie Irving after the seven-time NBA All-Star player shared an anti-semitic video on social media.
Irving, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, shared a link on social media to a film on Amazon. The 2018 movie, titled 'Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America', is an adaptation of a book of the same name, but both have been described as anti-semitic.
Kyrie Irving talking to fans wearing Fight Anti-Semitism shirts last night twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/uXhnGvFFPG
The 30-year-old was called out for the post by journalists and was questioned why he was promoting such a controversial and damning subject. The NBA star claimed that he wasn't promoting it, which Ariel Helwani has taken issue with.
On the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani responded to Irving and hit back at his criticism of reporters asking him hard-hitting questions:
"He [Kyrie Irving] posts that and when a great reporter like Nick Friedell asks him, 'Why are you promoting this?' He starts playing this game where he's questioning the word promotion and not understanding that by posting this, you are endorsing it and are saying you like it. Maybe you even want other people to watch it and are trying to tell him them that stuff in there is stuff to believe in. I can assure you I'm not posting a link to Mein Kampf...because I don't believe in it... It's an embarrassing siutation."
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have since pledged to donate $1 million to communities to help stand against intolerance and hate.
Catch Ariel Helwani's response here:
Ariel Helwani weighs in on the UFC banning fighters from betting
Last month, Ariel Helwani was one of the first reporters to break the news of the UFC's new 'Athlete Code of Conduct'. The memo was sent to all fighters to let them know that they and their teams are no longer allowed to place bets on any fights inside the octagon.
UFC just issued this memo to fighters and managers regarding a change in their athlete conduct policy:
UFC fighters are now prohibited from gambling on any UFC fight, regardless of if they are involved or not. They can still be sponsored just not allowed to bet at all. https://t.co/6zhuIITxmx
There has been much debate about the change, with many from outside the sport considering it a good move as most other professional sports prohibit their athletes from gambling.
Ariel Helwani's issue, however, is that it is contracdictory of the UFC in regards to fighter employment status. According to Helwani, it is another example of the UFC failing to acknowledge fighters as independent contractors:
"It brings up once again, are they independent contractors or are they employees? Now if you're an employee, and there's an employee rule book, you have to adhere to it."
The MMA Analyst compared the situation to hiring a laborer to do some work:
"Once he's done the job, I can't tell this guy what to do or where to be, anything like that. That's an independent contractor. UFC fighters are continuously not treated like independent contractors."
Catch Ariel Helwani's comments here: