NFL: Aussie San Francisco 49ers star Jarryd Hayne apologises for offensive ‘anti-Jewish’ tweet

SAN Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne has publicly apologised for an offensive tweet that drew criticism from the Jewish community.

less than 2 min read

July 15, 2015 - 5:27PM

Hayne apologises for offensive tweet

SAN Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne has publicly apologised for a controversial tweet that drew criticism from the Jewish community.

Hayne shared the apology on his Twitter account today, two weeks after the offending tweet was posted.

To the Jewish community @DvirAbramovich #WeAreAllOne pic.twitter.com/AN9PUm7cMY
â€” jarryd hayne (@jarrydhayne_1) July 15, 2015

The former NRL star was slammed by Jewish groups in Australia and abroad for tweets on July 1 and 2 that blamed Jewish people for the death of biblical figure, Jesus Christ.

“Jesus wanted to help people but was killed by his own people,” Hayne tweeted.

“The Jews were the people who took him to the Romans n [sic] forced them to give the order because they couldn’t.”

The two tweets that put Hayne in hot water.

A devout Christian, Hayne’s comments were posted while the 49ers recruit was attending the Hillsong Conference in Sydney ahead of the State of Origin decider the following week.

Hayne deleted the tweets on July 10 after media discovered the gaffe.

“The notion that ‘Jews killed Christ’ has fuelled more than 2,000 years of anti-Semitism and violence and is still one of the more widely believed anti-Semitic tropes,” Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman said in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jarryd Hayne passes the ball gridiron style during the NSW's Blues Origin team walk in Brisbane. Picture: Gregg Porteous

“This was irresponsible on his part, and I’m not sure he understands the pain he has caused or the impact of his words. I hope that Hayne will use this as an opportunity to learn about the roots of anti-Semitism and make clear to his thousands of fans around the world that anti-Semitism is unacceptable, both in sports and in society at large.”

Hayne’s manager Wayne Beavis initially tried to dodge the issue, claiming it was “a personal comment” and that it wasn’t something he would “going to be chasing him down for.”