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Wednesday, May 30 Stern condemns Ward's 'zealotry' ESPN.com news services NEW YORK – Charlie Ward apologized to his team, the NBA and New York Knicks fans Monday night after commissioner David Stern condemned Ward's religious "zealotry." Ward Ward was booed in Madison Square Garden on Sunday for statements he made about Jews in a New York Times Magazine story. Ward, who claimed his statements were taken out of context, described Jews as stubborn and said they persecute Christians every day. "I want to truly apologize to everybody who was offended by the New York Times Magazine story. I will say again that I would never condemn or criticize any group or religion. That is not who I am," Ward said. The Anti-Defamation League said Tuesday it accepted the apology. "The episode should not have happened," Abraham Foxman, the Jewish Group's executive director, said in a statement. "The fact that it did shows the need for continuing education, especially among professional athletes, about the diverse religious beliefs and traditions of our society. "We accept Charlie Ward's apology," Foxman added. "Mr. Ward acknowledges he made a mistake and has indicated that he is now willing to explore his beliefs with Jewish religious leaders to perhaps better understand why his remarks about Jews and Judaism were so deeply offensive. "We hope is that Mr. Ward will also consider meeting with mainstream Christian leaders, along with Jewish leaders, who can explain why his beliefs are part of historic myths that have been used to fuel anti-Semitism for centuries." Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that Ward is entitled to his opinion on religious matters and should not be condemned for speaking his mind. "I don't necessarily ascribe to the same biblical interpretation as others, but I do believe we need to have tolerance on both sides," Bush said. "I wouldn't necessarily ... conclude what he concluded, but he has every right to do that." Ward, a former two-sport star at Florida State and the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, is the volunteer spokesman for the state's "Born to Read" program encouraging parents to read to their children. On Monday, Stern commented on the controversy as it remained a hot topic of debate in New York. "In yesterday's New York Times Magazine, statements were attributed to Charlie Ward that stereotype Jews and attempt to utilize biblical references to describe persecution of Christians by Jews," Stern said. "Unfortunately, Ward's comments, and his subsequent confirmation of them, demonstrate zealotry of all types is intolerant and divisive." In the article, Ward and several of his teammates took part in a Bible study class prior to a game against Milwaukee and questioned the author, who is Jewish, about the Old Testament, cultural identity and dietary laws. Ward is quoted as saying: "Jews are stubborn. Tell me, why did they persecute Jesus unless he knew something they didn't want to accept? They had his blood on their hands." Ward continued on, according to the article: "There are Christians getting persecuted by Jews every day. There's been books written about this – people who are raised Jewish and find Christ, and then their parents stop talking to them." The story refused to die down over the past few days, with Ward continuing to defend his remarks – even after he was booed loudly by the home crowd in the Knicks' playoff game against Toronto. Ward had been warned in the past by Knicks executives not to use the locker room as his pulpit. "Despite suggestions that the NBA should penalize Ward for his words, I am not planning to do so," Stern said. "Ward would have been better off not to have uttered his uninformed and ill-founded statements, but I do not wish to enhance his sense of martyrdom by penalizing him for giving them public voice. "He will have to accept the reactions and judgments of fans and all fair-minded people who have been offended." Ward said he would open a dialogue with Yechiel Eckstein, president and founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, in an effort to heal the wounds of the last few days. "I also want to apologize to my teammates, the Knicks organization, the fans and the NBA for the distraction this has caused," Ward said. "At this time we want our focus to be toward bringing home an NBA championship. I've always played hard for this team and I've tried during my time in the NBA to stand for all that is positive in the league." Information from SportsTicker and The Associated Press was used in this report. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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