Jordan ‘deeply saddened’ over Floyd death

Michael Jordan spoke out against the “ingrained racism and violence toward people of color” in a statement Sunday, joining countless others reeling from the death of George Floyd, who died Monday while in police custody.

“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry. I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration,” Jordan said. “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.

“I don’t have the answers, but our collective voices show strength and the inability to be divided by others. We must listen to each other, show compassion and empathy and never turn our backs on senseless brutality. We need to continue peaceful expressions against injustice and demand accountability. Our unified voice needs to put pressure on our leaders to change our laws, or else we need to use our vote to create systemic change.”

Jordan’s statement comes from someone who was once hesitant to speak out about social issues, famously quipping that “Republicans buy shoes, too” (which, by Jordan’s account, was intended as a joke).