Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tweeted out support for the protests against racial inequality after the death of George Floyd.
Burrow’s statement: “The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.”
Burrow joins a chorus of professional athletes to go public on the matter. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was one of the prominent NFL names to issue a statement.
Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt said the following on a media call, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer:
“I think it’s disgusting. I think that there’s no explanation for it. For me it doesn’t make any sense. I just don’t see how a man in handcuffs, on the ground, who is clearly detained and clearly saying [he’s] in distress … I just don’t understand how that situation can’t be remedied in a way that doesn’t end in his death.
As ESPN’s Ben Baby pointed out, Burrow isn’t a stranger to taking a strong stance as a leader:
On draft night, Joe Burrow was asked what his teammates would say makes him a good leader. Here's his response: pic.twitter.com/00UnG6Hgc2
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) May 29, 2020
Floyd died after police restrained him Monday in response to an alleged forgery. Protests and riots in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas have since broken out and are ongoing.
The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.
— Joey Burrow (@Joe_Burrow10) May 29, 2020
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