Many resented the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday for a tweet the organization made following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, is not one of those people. He issued a statement on Wednesday in support of the Raiders and “I CAN BREATHE“A position for which team owner Mark Davis took responsibility.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders and its leadership for their support of our family and for the continued pursuit of justice and equality for all,” said Philonise Floyd.
“Now, more than ever, we must unite and continue this struggle. For the first time in almost a year, our family has inspired. And I know it’s true for so many people across the nation and around the globe. Let’s breathe together in honor of my older brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George. ”
George Floyd uttered the phrase “I can’t breathe,” as he lay on the ground with Chauvin’s knee pressed to his neck during a police stop on May 25, 2020. Until Chauvin removed his knee after more than For nine minutes, Floyd was dead. On Tuesday, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and murder.
Davis said he based the Raiders’ tweet on a quote from Philonise Floyd following Chauvin’s conviction: “Today we are able to breathe again.”
“I felt it was a strong statement,” Davis told ESPN on Tuesday. “Today was a day when I can breathe and we can all breathe again because justice has been done. But we still have a lot of work to do on social justice and police brutality. ”
“I can’t breathe” first became a cry of protest during the protests and demonstrations that followed the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man, who repeatedly uttered the phrase as police called him. they held in a choke. As a reply, police supporters at the time replied, “I can breathe.”
Davis told Athletic that he did not know that the last sentence had been used in such a way before.
“I wasn’t aware of that,” Davis said. “Absolutely not. I had no idea. This is a situation I was not aware of. I see where there could be some negativity about what I said based on this.”
Davis added that “if I offended the family, then I am deeply, deeply disappointed.” But he has no intention of deleting the tweet.
“It’s already there,” Davis said. “It’s not an excuse. I’m not embarrassed by what I said, but I’ve learned something now. “