Another week, another former NBA player appearing to endorse anti-Semitic messaging.
Nick Cannon got fired from ViacomCBS after making racist and anti-Semitic comments. He then posted to Facebook both apologizing and demanding an apology.
Former Heat star Dwyane Wade tweeted and deleted:
@NickCannon We are with you ✊ Keep leading!
Wade then posted:
I want to clarify my now deleted tweet. I was not supporting or condoning what Nick Cannon specifically said, but I had expressed my support of him owning the content and brand he helped create 🙏🏾
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 15, 2020
I was too quick to respond without being fully informed about his hurtful anti-Semitic remarks. As you all know I have ZERO tolerance for any hate speech!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 15, 2020
I don’t know what Wade meant. I hope he wasn’t endorsing Cannon’s toxic rhetoric. Wade’s explanation is at least plausible.
And, unlike Stephen Jackson, Wade quickly clarified rather than doubling down.
Want to support Cannon in his fight over branding control? That’s fine. But Wade also could have done so in a way that didn’t so easily give the impression he was co-signing Cannon’s racism and anti-Semitism. That’s a reasonable expectation for Wade, who has proven he can be so thoughtful.
Maybe there’s just a small lesson to be learned here about clarity and context while communicating to a mass audience.
If there’s a larger lesson to be learned, I hope Wade gets that, too.