Boston Celtics All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum let his feelings on taking a knee be known Friday, responding on Twitter to a tweet by U.S. president Donald Trump.
Trump has often clashed with athletes, particularly those who elect to protest racial injustice and police brutality by taking a knee before sporting events in leagues like the NFL and NBA.
The president made a comment to that effect in a recent tweet discussing a planned NFL season start later this year despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football. They are planning a very safe and controlled opening,” claimed Trump. “However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!”
The tweet elicited a simple but blunt response from Tatum, who retweeted the president with his own message:
“Give a damn if you watch!!”
Give a damn if you watch!! https://t.co/vhhXH8uQ5e
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) June 19, 2020
The 45th president has clashed with other players in the NBA — most notably LeBron James — but at least for now has not responded to the St. Louis native’s reply.
While Tatum has not been as high-profile of a supporter as some of his teammates of the demonstrations to protest the killing of George Floyd and other examples of police brutality, he has been increasingly vocal about the cause via social media.
Though brief, it is his strongest statement yet in support of the protests seeking justice for Floyd and Black lives more generally.
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