Patriots WR Julian Edelman writes letter to Heat’s Meyers Leonard about anti-Semitic slur

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman wrote an open letter to Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard on Wednesday after Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur during a gaming livestream recently.

On a video that surfaced on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, Leonard can be heard saying: “F---ing cowards, don’t f---ing snipe me you f---ing k--e b--ch,” while playing the game, “Call of Duty,” on Twitch.

The Heat announced Tuesday that Leonard was away from the team indefinitely. While the Heat delivered a statement, Leonard issued an apology.

On Wednesday, Edelman, who is Jewish, posted a letter to Twitter addressing Leonard and tagging him in the post.

Edelman’s letter reads in full:

“So we’ve never met, I hope we can one day soon. I’m sure you’ve been getting lots of criticism for what you said. Not trying to add to that, i just want to offer some perspective.”

“I get the sense that you didn’t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren’t trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment.”

“That’s what makes it so destructive. When someone intends to be hateful, it’s usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.”

“I’m down in Miami fairly often. Let’s do a Shabbat dinner with some friends I’ll show you a fun time.”