Bulls coach Billy Donovan stood by the decision on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a certain level of standards and expectations that are here,\u201d Donovan told the Athletic<\/a>. \u201cI mean, we have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right? So, the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is, we\u2019ve got to all be professional. I think there\u2019s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Ivey has been outspoken about his religious beliefs, the intensity of his outspokenness has increased in recent years, per new reporting in ESPN<\/a>. Some team staff members have described Ivey as \u201cpreachy\u201d in the locker room.<\/p>\n According to ESPN, Ivey is prone to going on long social media rants about his religion, his depression, and his negative feelings<\/a> toward Catholicism.<\/p>\n Shortly after the Bulls announced their decision, Ivey took to Instagram again<\/a>, this time calling the Bulls \u201cliars, bro\u201d and saying \u201cThis is lying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team,\u201d he said, per The Athletic. \u201cThat\u2019s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, \u2018Was I a good teammate?\u2019 All I\u2019m preaching about is Jesus Christ and they waived me. They say I\u2019m crazy, right? I\u2019m psycho.\u201d<\/p>\n In comments shared by Athletic reporter Jared Weiss on Monday, Donovan also spoke about the need for mental health resources for all players.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in this day and age, you have to be conscientious of all these guys may be going through things,\u201d he said in footage Weiss shared on X<\/a>. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not passing judgment on what Jaden is or is not going through. But I do worry about that, not only for Jaden, but for all of our players. Are we providing the resources, which I think we do, to help them in any way we can? I think if any player reached out and said I need some help in this, we could help them.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, while speaking on Instagram Live, Ivey said that his wife and family have stopped speaking with him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why my wife in here, and she not even texting me,\u201d Ivey said, per the Athletic<\/a>. \u201cThose who are around me, those who are my family members betraying [me] because of what I spoke. The truth. Betraying me. Saying that I\u2019m losing my mind. Saying that I\u2019m crazy. \u2026 Those are my own household. All because of the Gospel. All because I said the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to joining the Bulls, Ivey was a member of the Detroit Pistons. On Tuesday, Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff commented on Ivey\u2019s waiver from the Chicago-based team.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we can overlook the human aspect of all these things and how that impacts people and their decisions,\u201d Bickerstaff told a Detroit Free Press<\/a> reporter. \u201cHaving said that, I also believe the NBA is one of the most inclusive environments in pro sports, and it\u2019s a genuine thing that celebrates different ethnicities, heritages, sexual preferences, whatever it may be,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cThe NBA brings people together. I think that\u2019s the great thing about our sport, and it\u2019s something that we understand the responsibility as you live that day to day, but giving people an opportunity to be who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the Bulls have let him go, Ivey will receive his full $10.1 million salary, the team confirmed to The Athletic<\/a>. Ivey played just four games for the Bulls, having been recently traded and then put on leave due to a knee injury, per ESPN.<\/p>\n