Meyers Leonard loses gaming sponsors after using anti-semetic slur in Call of Duty stream

Miami Heat star Meyers Leonard has landed himself in hot waters following his use of an anti-Semetic slur during a Twitch stream. The 29-year-old will be away from the team indefinitely due to his behaviour and has many have denounced his actions online. The Meyers Leonard anti-semetic slur has also many brands dropping him, as he feels deeply sorry for his comments. 

Meyers Leonard sponsors back out after Heat star uses anti-semetic slur 

The Meyers Leonard anti-semetic slur included calling a fellow player “f–king k–e b—h” while playing Call of Duty on Tuesday quickly began circulating on social media. Leonard soon faced the wrath of his words and was cancelled by many, including his sponsors. Soon after the Meyers Leonard Twitch video went viral, Scuf Gaming and Origin PC, which are both subsidiaries of Corsair Gaming, have ended their associations as the Meyers Leonard sponsors.

After the Meyers Leonard Origin PC deal falling apart, ASTRO Gaming also ended its partnership with Leonard effective immediately. The Heat star is an avid gamer and had about 58,000 followers on Twitch on Tuesday before the incident. 

FaZe Clan also announced that they will be cutting ties with the 29-year-old following the Meyers Leonard anti-semetic slur controversy. The NBA star joined FaZe as a content creator in June 2019 under the name "FaZe Hammer". He also previously invested in FaZe, although in its brief statement via Twitter, FaZe said "Meyers is not a member of FaZe" and they were cutting all ties with him after the Meyers Leonard Twitch controversy. 

Leonard issued a statement in which he apologized for using the slur. He said "didn't know what the word meant at the time," but said his "ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse". The 29-year-old also said he will reach out to "people who can help educate [him] about this type of hate and how we can fight it".

The NBA are said to be looking into the Meyers Leonard Twitch controversy on Tuesday. The league's spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement: "We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information. The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech". Miami Heat also issued a statement, where the franchise vehemently condemned the use of any form of hate speech. Last season's beaten NBA finalists said that they will co-operate with NBA's investigation and Meyers' will be suspended from the team indefinitely. 

(Image Courtesy: nba.com)