Tag: George Floyd

Evander Kane calls for athletes ‘like Tom Brady and Sidney Crosby’ to speak out against racism

“We need so many more athletes that don’t look like me speaking out about this.”

Protests in major cities across the country sparked by the killing of George Floyd have continued to pop up over the last few days. Floyd, a black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer put his knee into his neck for over eight minutes.

As more people have begun to take to the streets, more athletes and celebrities are lending their voices and resources to those people in an effort to support their clause and accentuate their plight.

One of those athletes has been San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane. Kane has always been vocal about the mistreatment of black people, but he’s been particularly active on social media and different platforms since Floyd’s killing.

And now, he’s calling on other white athletes to join him.

In an appearance on First Take on Friday, Kane said he hopes that more athletes who aren’t people of color to speak out about these injustices across the country.

“We need so many more athletes that don’t look like me speaking out about this, having the same amount of outrage that I have inside. And using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration. Because that’s the only way it’s going to change. We’ve been outraged for hundreds of years and nothing’s changed. It’s time for guys like Tom Brady and Sidney Crosby and those type of figures to speak up about what is right and, clearly in this case, what is unbelievably wrong. Because that’s the only way we’re going to actually create, unify anger to create that necessary change. Especially when you talk about systematic racism.”

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks on death of George Floyd

Harrison Butker joins many NFL players in speaking out about the death of George Floyd.

Protests and demonstrations continue throughout the country following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died Monday in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed his knee to the neck of Floyd for over 8 minutes. Video of the incident has since circulated throughout social media.

During Friday’s media availability, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker wore a shirt that said the word “Brotherhood.” This prompted a question about his thoughts on the civil unrest in the wake of Floyd’s death.

“It’s super sad,” Butker said. “I can’t even get through that whole video. It’s very heartbreaking.”

While Butker hasn’t had an opportunity to speak with his teammates about Floyd’s death, it’s clear he’s been following the situation closely and had time to reflect on it.

“I think the biggest thing is bringing justice to those, the perpetrators,” Butker said. “It’s just an unfortunate situation, but that’s what we’re dealing with in our society right now. I think we have to figure out ways to hold people accountable. It is very sad. Obviously, I’d love to live in a world where that type of injustice wasn’t going on.”

The four officers involved in the incident have been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. The officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee to the neck of Floyd, was arrested on Friday on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. While this remains an important step for getting justice in Floyd’s death, there is still much more to be done about the racial injustice going on daily in our society.

“At the end of the day, we’re all sinful people,” Butker said. “We need God in our lives and we need to be able to love one another as brothers — as members of the human race.”

Weston McKennie wears ‘Justice for George’ armband during Bundesliga game

The American midfielder wore the armband showing support for George Floyd during a Bundesliga match.

American Weston McKennie was in Germany playing for Schalke in Bundesliga action on Saturday, but the 21-year-old midfielder used an armband to let fans know his thoughts were back in the United States.

McKennie wore an armband saying “Justice for George” during the match against Werder Bremen. George Floyd, a black man, was killed after a police officer in Minneapolis put his knee into his neck for over eight minutes, sparking outrage and protests across the country this week.

During the telecast, cameras zoomed in on McKennie at one point, at which point the armband was clearly visible.

You can see it here below:

American striker Jozy Altidore praised McKennie for the signal of support:

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Watch Killer Mike give stirring speech on protests after killing of George Floyd

LeBron James shared the speech, calling it a “mandatory listen.”

Rapper and activist Killer Mike spoke during a press conference on Friday night while protestors took to the streets of Atlanta over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee into his neck for over eight minutes.

In the speech, Killer Mike first started by trying to put the riots into historical perspective, and empathize with the people who had taken to the streets. Citing hundreds of years of American policy which defined black people as less than their white counterparts, he makes clear that it wasn’t one isolated incident that brought us to where we are today.

To finish, he then pleaded with Atlantans to return home, and get to work on enabling systemic change.

LeBron James also shared the speech, calling it a “mandatory listen.”

Watch the entire speech here:

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Ben Simmons speaks out on deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery

Ben Simmons is using his voice to speak out on the recent deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, like so many others, wants change.

Simmons spoke on Twitter on Friday night regarding the recent deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Simmons voiced how people must become more comfortable with addressing the injustices and racism that affect black people around the country.

Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on Monday as the officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck. The police were called because of an alleged forgery at a store. 

Floyd dying at the hands of a police officer is only one unfortunate example of many black people being victimized by police violence.

On Friday, Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed Floyd, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, per a report from Erin Donaghue and and Graham Kates of CBS.  Chauvin and the three other officers involved were fired Tuesday from the Minneapolis Police Department, per Joshua Rhett Miller of the New York Post. 

The killing has led to demonstrations around the country, including in Minneapolis, as well as Houston, Atlanta and Brooklyn among others.

Arbery, who lived in Georgia, was killed in February while he was jogging through a neighborhood called Satilla Shores.

He was chased after a man and his son who thought he had committed burglaries in the neighborhood. Gregory McMichael, the father, along with his son, Travis McMichael, were arrested and charged May 7 with murder and aggravated assault for the death of Arbery, per Brandon Baur and Mark Osborne of ABC News.

With Simmons speaking out, he is using his voice for causes that matter and need to be addressed. Simmons spoke out on racial profiling he experienced last August while at a casino in his home country of Australia.

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Brian Flores can’t be the only NFL coach to speak up about George Floyd’s death

The Dolphins coach released a powerful statement on Friday. It’s time for his peers to follow his lead and show they care.

There has been no shortage of NFL players who have expressed their sadness, frustration and anger, etc., in response to the death of George Floyd, who died after being pinned to the ground by the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for eight minutes and 23 seconds, but we had yet to hear from a coach.

That changed Friday afternoon when Brian Flores, one of two black head coaches currently employed by the league, released a powerful statement calling for others to come out and speak up about the story with the same outrage that fueled the Colin Kaepernick debates and the push back on the proposal that would have incentivized NFL teams to hire minority coaching and front office candidates.

“I vividly remember the Colin Kaepernick conversations,” Flores wrote. “‘Don’t ever disrespect the flag’ was the phrase that I heard over and over again. This idea that players were kneeling in support of social justice was something some people couldn’t wrap their head around. The outrage that I saw in the media and the anger I felt in some of my own private conversations cause me to sever a few long-standing friendships. Most recently, I’ve had conversations about incentivizing teams for hiring minorities. Again, there was some outrage in the media and talks that would cause division amongst coaches, executives and ownership. I bring these situations up because I haven’t seen the same OUTRAGE from people of influence when the conversation turns to Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and most recently George Floyd. Many people who broadcast their opinions on kneeling or on the hiring of minorities don’t seem to have an opinion on the recent murders of these young black men and women.”

Any NFL coach using their platform to speak out against police brutality and the systematic racism that allows it to persist should be commended. That’s especially true for a black man in a profession that doesn’t give people who look like him much leeway. Hopefully other coaches and prominent executives will follow his lead and speak out against these injustices. This very flawed country has given them ample opportunities to do so over the last few years alone. Maybe Floyd’s very public execution — let’s call it what it is — will get them to do so.

It’s refreshing, if not a bit surprising, that this message is coming from the coach of the team that traded away Kenny Stills a year ago after he called out team owner Stephen Ross for holding a fundraiser for the Trump campaign.

And after Stills criticized Jay-Z for striking a deal with the league after backing Kaepernick for years, Flores blasted Jay-Z’s music at practice in an effort to “challenge” Stills. He was traded to Houston a week later.

But there were no bizarre coaching strategies or motives in the statement Flores released. Just a man who is fed up and right fully so.

As we heard over and over again during the endless debates over Kaepernick and why he wasn’t in the league — as if the answer wasn’t obvious — NFL coaches try to avoid anything that could be seen as a distraction. Flores seems to be welcoming the distraction in this case, and he should not be alone.

If NFL coaches want to show their players — who are overwhelmingly black and have to live in fear everyday that they will be the next George Floyd or Ahmaud Abery or Michael Brown or any of the countless black men and women who have been murdered by police — they will follow Flores’ lead.

The players have done their part in the face of scrutiny from fans, media and even the White House. It’s time for their coaches to step up.

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Stephen Jackson on George Floyd’s death: ‘When was murder ever worth it?’

“They’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd”

Stephen Jackson has been one of the most visible faces on the front lines in Minneapolis protesting the death of George Floyd after he was killed by a police officer earlier this week.

Jackson was a close friend of Floyd’s. He called him his “twin” and his brother. They knew each other from Jackson’s time growing up in Houston.

Protestors held a press conference in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon to make their demands, concerns and gripes surrounding Floyd’s death and the treatment of African Americans in their community clear. Jackson took part in that press conference.

He shared some incredibly powerful words about Floyd’s death and how he’s been treated. Take a listen.

WARNING: There’s some NSFW language included in this video.

“I’m here because they’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd — my twin. A lot of times when police do things they know that’s wrong, the first thing they try to do is cover it up and bring up your background to make it seem like the b******* that they did was worth it. When was murder ever worth it?” 

He wasn’t done there, either.

“You get an opportunity to move away from the environment that brought you down. You get away, you be successful, get a job, your life starts turning in the right direction. You stumble a little bit again. It’s not worth your life, though. You stumble a little bit again, and you end up on the ground with a knee in your neck. Screaming your momma’s name, screaming your kid’s name. Going to the bathroom on yourself. Imagine if he was white. Ponder that for a minute. Imagine if he was white.”

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Stephen Jackson speaks on death of George Floyd: ‘When was murder ever worth it?’

Stephen Jackson, who said he grew up with George Floyd, shared remarks in Minnesota on Friday after protests and riots erupted.

Former Golden State Warriors Stephen Jackson led a speech Friday about George Floyd, whose death at the hands of police has led to protests and riots throughout the country calling for the officer’s arrest.

Floyd, accused of forgery, died Monday after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for about eight minutes despite pleas from Floyd, who was handcuffed, that he couldn’t breathe. The four officers involved were fired and Chauvin was arrested Friday.

Jackson told the TODAY Show that he and Floyd grew up together in Houston and were longtime friends.

In Minnesota on Friday, Jackson lamented the death of his “twin” at an event with Jamie Foxx and NBA players including Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Okogie, Gary Trent Jr. and Royce White, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.

Here are some clips of Jackson speaking.

“When was murder ever worth it?

“They’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd. My twin,” Jackson said. “A lot of times when police do things that they know that’s wrong, the first thing they try to do is cover it up and bring up your background to make it seem like the (expletive) that they did was worth it.

“When was murder ever worth it?

“But if it’s a black man, it’s approved.

“You can’t tell me when that man had his knee on my brother’s neck, taking his life away, with his hand in his pocket, that that smirk on his face didn’t say ‘I’m protecting you.'”

“We gotta come up with our own answers.”

“Given there’s no answers, we gotta come up with our own answers. And we’re willing to do that. Understand that. We’re willing to do that. We’re going to use our platform,” he said. I’m gonna use everything I have to get a conviction. To get all these (expletives) in jail. Excuse my french, I’m angry. but I’m a proud black man.”

“Imagine if he was white.”

“Imagine this. A man growing up in an area where the odds are already against him. Trying to figure it out. You know they say experience is the best teacher, so you’re gonna make mistakes. Everybody gonna make mistakes. You make some bad decisions. It happens. We all make bad decisions, right? We make bad decisions. Even being successful, I’ve made bad decisions. Right? You get to a point where you make a bad decision and you end up suffering for it. … You rehabilitate yourself. You have relationships with people where you’re able to get away and try to better your life, right, because you’ve been in the system. All they tell you, the only way you can get out is if you rehabilitate yourself. And when you rehabilitate yourself, you get out, and you’re still treated like a criminal.

“Stay with me now. Envision that. You get an opportunity to move away from the environment that brought you down. You get away, you be successful. You get a job, your life starts turning in the right direction. You stumble a little bit again. That’s not worth your life, though. You stumble a little bit again and you end up on the ground with a knee in your neck. Screaming your mama’s name, screaming your kids’ names. Going to the bathroom on yourself.

“Imagine if he was white. Ponder that for a minute. Imagine if he was white.”

“We don’t get no justice.”

“You can’t tell me that he didn’t feel that it was his duty to murder my brother and that he knew he was going to get away with it. You can’t tell me that wasn’t the look on his face.

“We’ve seen it so many times, so many times, and we see it right in our face that we don’t get no justice.”

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Chris Holtmann makes statement following death of George Floyd

Ohio State’s coach Chris Holtmann released a statement supporting improvement on racial tensions following the death of George Floyd.

Many sports figures and public personalities are coming out with their support of the black community in response to the tragic death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

It is gripping the nation and Ohio State head coach is in a unique position as a head coach of a big-time college basketball program, one that has a lot of black, American athletes he’s directing and establishing relationships with.

As such, he was moved to release a statement on the situation and what continues to happen in this country. In it, Holtmann uses a quote from the venerable Martin Luther King, Jr. and follows up with his own statement.

You can get a look at it in its entirety below.

We cannot agree with Holtmann more. This country is fractured right now, and we need to find some way collectively to try and repair relationships, repair the past, and treat everyone equally and with the same love and kindness we would with our own family and friends.

Something has to change for the better. We must be better. Our history forward as a nation depends on it.

Brown, Kanter, Tatum continue to speak on Floyd death, riots

Jaylen Brown, Enes Kanter and Jayson Tatum continued to post about the Floyd death in Minnesota and subsequent riots.

Several Boston Celtics continued to post on social media their thoughts and feelings on the continued unrest in Minnesota surrounding the death of George Floyd as he was taken into custody by police in Minneapolis earlier this week.

The incident which sparked the nationwide outrage stems from a police officer using unsanctioned means of restrained including a chokehold and kneeling on Floyd’s neck.

Protests have since escalated, with rioting, looting, arrests — including reporters for CNN on the scene — and violence dominating the headlines as protests spread across the U.S. Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Third-year All-Star forward Tatum posted a simple message of hands clasped in prayer along with a tweet seeking to contextualize the life of Floyd:

While outspoken Celtics center Enes Kanter railed against the arrest of the CNN reporting team — and lack thereof the officers involved.

Jaylen Brown posted several responses to the last 24 hours’ events, most notably a tweet from president Donald Trump suggesting those looting in Minneapolis would be shot.

Twitter, for its part, slapped a warning message over the tweet as part of an escalating feud between the social media giant and the 45th president of the United States.

The Georgia native also retweeted Los Angeles Laker Kyle Kuzma’s call for change:

And another tweet taking a hard stance on those who have chosen to stay quiet on such issues.

Finally, he posted a similar, more in-depth message on Instagram on the that topic:

“Being a bystander is no longer acceptable. If you and your friends are around or a witness of cultural biases, microaggressions, subtle acts of racism, actual racism … and you don’t speak up on it, or do something about it, you are part of the problem,” began Brown.

“We’re past the point where it’s like it’s not in your governing space, so you’ve got nothing to do with it. If you don’t speak up on these issues, you’re just as bad,” he added, along with a quote from Malcolm X:

“If you stick a knife in my back 9 inches and pull it out 6 inches that is not progress. If you pull it all the way out, it is still not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow has made. They haven’t pulled the knife out or much less healed the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there!”

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