Like so many other NFL franchises, the New York Jets shared a statement Wednesday on the death of George Floyd and racial injustice in the United States.
The statement, which was attributed to the organization as a whole, said that the Jets spoke with their players, coaches, executives and ownership on Monday about how they want to “unite our communities” and create “positive change.”
They also recognized all the protests happening around the country and said that people need to see the “powerful images of protestors and law enforcement working together in efforts to connect.” The Jets concluded their statement by saying they want to “create programs and partnerships of which we, along with the community, can look back on years from now and be proud.”
Statement from the New York Jets: pic.twitter.com/HXdDUItKyf
— New York Jets (@nyjets) June 3, 2020
The Jets’ statement follows days of nationwide protests after Minneapolis police officer 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.
Protests have since erupted across the country and globe, including big cities in the United States such as New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The Jets’ statement came after two of their top players, Jamal Adams and Le’Veon Bell, expressed their opinions on the topic. Adams said in a tweet that his heart goes out to the family and friends of Floyd and that the police need to “stop killing us.” Bell tweeted that “America is hurting.”
The Jets, as an organization, have been vocal when it comes to matters of social and racial injustice since CEO Christopher Johnson took control of the team’s day to day operations from his older brother, Woody. The elder sibling was named the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom by President Donald Trump in June 2017. At the time, Colin Kaepernick’s movement to protest social and racial injustice was at its height and widespread throughout the NFL despite him being a free agent.