It was earlier reported that the Miami Heat were already investigating Meyers Leonard for his use of an anti-Semitic slur during a recent Call of Duty stream on Twitch. Right now, it appears that the Heat big man has also lost his gaming sponsorship in the wake of the controversy.
This report comes via Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 Florida:
SLATER SCOOP: Meyers Leonard’s gaming sponsorship has been cancelled, a source tells me.
The computer company, ORIGIN PC, made the move after the Heat player used an anti-Semitic slur online.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) March 9, 2021
This development does not come as a surprise after Leonard was undeniably caught on video uttering an anti-Semitic slur. For those who want to see the clip, you may do so below. However, viewer discretion is advised due to Leonard's use of offensive language:
Meyers Leonard says racial slurs while playing CoD pic.twitter.com/WHwUnbV0pR
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) March 9, 2021
Leonard said: “F—— cowards, don’t f—— snipe at me you f—— k— b—-”.
ORIGIN PC, a Miami-based custom personal computer manufacturing company, appears to have cut ties with Leonard as soon as his act went viral. The company will likely want to distance itself as much as it can from the embattled Heat center, and their immediate cancellation of any sponsorship deal with Leonard serves as their first step towards doing the same.
The NBA has also come out with an official statement on the incident (h/t Shams Charania on Twitter):
“We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information,” said NBA spokesman Mike Bass. “The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
Leonard himself has yet to comment on the matter. However, it is clear that this will have a significant impact on his career not only in the world of gaming but in the NBA as well.
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