Meyers Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur during a ‘Call of Duty’ stream

Meyers Leonard has been streaming Call of Duty in his free time, and on Tuesday afternoon the Miami Heat center was caught using anti-Semitic racial slur on stream.

Warning: This video contains NSFW language and a racial slur.

Leonard paused, seemingly to think about what he was going to say next, before using the anti-Semitic slur. Writing off a racial slur as a “slip” is never acceptable, but Leonard’s choice of words had more intentionality than past incidents like this. The person he was playing with laughed about Leonard’s slur, and the two resumed playing.

Immediately the video went viral. Roughly 30 minutes after using the slur Leonard got a phone call and ended his stream early.

“Yo, my wife needs me. I uh ... I gotta roll brother. GGs.”

Leonard is missing the 2020-21 season due to a shoulder injury, and garnered attention during the play in the NBA Bubble last season by being the only player on the Heat roster to stand during the national anthem.

At the time Leonard said he “stood against bigotry, racism, and hate,” but that his decision to stand during the anthem came from a place of supporting the military, not counter-protesting the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Miami Heat are reportedly “reviewing” the clip of Leonard using the slur, while the NBA issued a stronger statement, adding they’re gathering more information on the incident.

In addition to the NBA investigation, Leonard’s sponsors, ORIGINPC and SCUF Gaming, both owned by gaming giant Corsair, announced they were ending working relationships with him due to the slur, using identical language.

On Thursday Shams Charania reported further extent of his penalties. Leonard will have to complete a cultural diversity program mandated by the NBA, as well as being fined $50,000. In addition he is suspended from all Heat facilities for one week.