Jets safety Jamal Adams made his voice heard on Monday night, as New York’s All-Pro safety took to Twitter to release a powerful statement in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
— Jamal Adams (@Prez) June 1, 2020
Protests across the United States broke out this weekend after Minneapolis police office Derrick Chauvin killed Floyd while restraining him by forcing his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Chauvin was subsequently fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Some protests have been peaceful, while others have had violence break out. The demonstrations have been in an effort to bring an end to police brutality against black people and minorities.
“My heart goes out to the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery,” Adams said. “They’re more than just hashtags. It’s disgusting that we don’t have time to deal with our trauma before the next tragedy. We can’t let these conversations die and can’t forget about those we’ve lost. Stop killing us.”
Adams, who is black, has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind since entering the NFL in 2017. As one of the Jets’ leaders on and off the field, it comes as no surprise that he would speak out on Floyd’s killing and other similar deaths that have recently occurred in the black community.
The 24-year-old Adams is not the first to speak out about Floyd’s death and he certainly will not be the last. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz issued an emotional statement last week, while Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson voiced their displeasures in separate statements, calling for an end to the “senseless murders” on Monday. Many other players around the league and the sports world have chimed in as well.
The Jets, at the time of Adams’ statement, had yet to release one of their own.