Story at a glance
- The Raiders tweeted a graphic with the caption “I CAN BREATHE,” and the date of Chauvin’s conviction underneath.
- The statement was in reference to Floyd, who said, “I can’t breathe” several times as he was pinned to the ground by Chauvin for more than nine minutes.
- The tweet didn’t go over well with many online.
The Las Vegas Raiders are facing criticism for a tweet posted following the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
On Tuesday, the former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd, whose death last summer sparked months of demonstrations against racial inequality and police brutality.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
Following the verdict, the NFL team tweeted a graphic with the caption “I CAN BREATHE,” with the date of Chauvin’s conviction underneath. The statement was in reference to Floyd, who said, “I can’t breathe” several times as he was pinned to the ground by Chauvin for more than nine minutes during the deadly arrest in May 2020. The phrase has become a rallying cry during protests against police brutality.
While the team intended the tweet to be in support of the verdict, the caption didn’t go over well with many online who believed the tweet was tone deaf.
This is real???? Nah man this ain’t it at all. The F^%K!!!! ♂️ https://t.co/f44D7OQWfo
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021
“Smh (shaking my head),” two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Torrey Smith tweeted. “Delete this.”
Folks get paid to avoid stupid stuff like this smh delete this @Raiders https://t.co/cADkE9Rixn
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) April 21, 2021
Do you have black people on your comms, digital, pr, legal department? Did you run this by any of them before posting this tweet? Are they empowered to give an honest answer? Cause this ain’t it. Nope. No sir. No ma’am. https://t.co/gAmqG3Uf68
— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98) April 21, 2021
Team owner Mark Davis in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal took responsibility for the tweet, and said he was inspired by Floyd’s brother, Philonise, who said “we are able to breathe again because justice for George means freedom for all.”
Davis told the news outlet he would not remove the tweet and would only apologize if the Floyd family was offended.
“I honesty believe after listening to Philonise, this is a day that we can all breathe,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
NY TIMES ESTIMATES WEALTHY AMERICANS ARE REFUSING TO PAY $1.4T IN UNCOLLECTED TAXES
THE SUPREME COURT COULD DEAL A MAJOR BLOW TO MINORITY VOTERS
BIDEN ADVISER REPORTEDLY SAYS WHITE HOUSE WILL START REPARATIONS TO BLACK COMMUNITY ‘NOW’
TAYLOR SWIFT BASHES NETFLIX AFTER ‘DEEPLY SEXIST JOKE’
WOMEN OF COLOR ARE TIPPING THE BALANCE OF POWER IN U.S. CITIES
changing america copyright.
