"Got looked over like it was nothing"- NBPA vice president Jaylen Brown says that the league violated the CBA when the Nets suspended Kyrie Irving

NBPA Vice President Jaylen Brown, like several players in the association, pushed back on the way the Brooklyn Nets handled the Kyrie Irving anti-Semitism issue. The Boston Celtics star criticized the Nets for suspending Irving when he thought “Uncle Drew’s” apology should have been enough.

In an interview with Logan Murdock of “The Ringer,” the two-time All-Star doubled down on his stance a few months back:

“The union is supposed to be an entity to protect the players, especially their rights and their freedom of speech. I feel like what the Brooklyn Nets did—I still feel the same way—it was inappropriate.

"I think it was like a public ransom note almost, in a sense, where he had a list of demands he had to do to return to the game. It was a violation of our CBA. It’s a violation of our agreement and kind of got looked over like it was nothing.”

Jaylen Brown made it clear that he didn’t support Kyrie Irving’s post, but was opposed to the suspension as it violated the CBA.

Irving posted a link to a film with antisemitic assertions on his social media accounts. Furthermore, he vehemently refused to unequivocally deny that he had any anti-Semitic beliefs of his own.

The Nets eventually suspended Kyrie Irving without pay until he completed a “series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct.”

“Uncle Drew” needed to do the following to be reinstated to the team:

1. Apologize and unequivocally disavow the movie.
2. Donate $500K to anti-hate platforms
3. Undergo sensitivity training
4. Undergo antisemitic training
5. Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
6. Meet with Brooklyn Nets team owner Joe Tsai to demonstrate he understood everything

When the Nets’ demands were made public, Jaylen Brown retorted:

“Tsai’s response was alarming to me. He didn’t say that the organization was working together to get Kyrie back on the floor. He said that Kyrie had more work to do. And as vice president of the players union, it’s part of my job to protect our players legally.”

Irving and the Nets found common ground until contract extension talks ultimately ended their partnership. The mercurial point guard eventually demanded to be traded before this year’s trade deadline and now plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

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Jaylen Brown wasn’t sure in the offseason if the Boston Celtics were trading him for Kevin Durant

Despite his obvious and steady growth, Jaylen Brown has been a regular part of the rumor trade mill over the last few years. There was no exemption this offseason as his name was reportedly again on the trade block.

When Kevin Durant demanded the Nets trade him, it seemed to Brown that his tenure in Boston was as uncertain as it could be:

“[KD] and JT are friends. They was working out together and whatnot. So, I wasn’t sure what the energy was. I wasn’t sure what the direction of the organization was.”

Jaylen Brown added that a three-way call involving Tatum and Brad Stevens settled things down:

“Once we all got together and kind of talked it through, we all left on the same page. But the actions that was taking place during that time, it just didn’t seem like that was the direction that the organization was going in. I don’t know. It was hard to tell, at least.”

Jaylen Brown will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season. He recently spoke about racism among Boston Celtics fans, something that he said he has a problem with.

For now, the Celtics are hoping that together with Jayson Tatum, they can finish what they failed to do last season in the finals.