In the midst of the Kanye West controversy, many athletes, like Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown, have distanced themselves from the rapper. His sports agency, Donda Sports, has lost a lot of members in the wake of anti-Semitism and other controversial statements from the rapper.
However, not everyone is hanging West out to dry. While Donald and Brown have cut ties, others have upped their support. Antonio Brown has remained the Donda Sports president in support of his friend and musical mentor.
Dez Bryant, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, joined the debate with a tweet.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
"It seems that freedom of speech only applies whenever the right person is saying it."
Bryant seems to be implying that West has the freedom to say whatever he wants, even if it is anti-Semitic and hateful. He thinks that the people turning their backs on him have no reason to do so. As West continues to lose sponsors, friends, and supporters, some are sticking up for him. It seems like Bryant is firmly in that camp.
Why did Aaron Donald leave Donda Sports and Kanye West?
The rapper, whose legal name was recently changed to Ye, has lost a lot in the form of partnerships with Adidas and Gap. He has also lost several athletes from his sports agency. Aaron Donald is one of the most prominent athletes in the world, but he has walked away from Donda Sports. He shared a statement on Twitter as to why:
"Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports. The recent comments and displays of hate and anti-Semitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family."
Donald continued with his damning indictment:
"As parents and members of society, we felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings. We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race."
The statement ended with:
"We've had the pleasure of working with many incredible people along the way and hope to continue to use our platform to uplift and support other families, children and communities through positive outreach."
Donald is now without representation, at least for the moment, and will likely not be partnering with West again.