The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay Thursday for his repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”

About four hours after the suspension Irving issued an apology for his social media post last week about a movie and book featuring antisemitic depictions.

Among those who called for Irving’s apology to come sooner was NBA commissioner Adam Silver. In a statement minutes before Irving apologized Silver said, “While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize.”