Raiders owner takes blame for ‘I CAN BREATHE’ tweet following Chauvin verdict
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis says the ‘I CAN BREATHE’ tweet on his NFL team’s official account was his idea.
Davis told ESPN that he “meant no disrespect” with the social media post that caused a wave of outrage on Tuesday just hours after ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.
“This is real ???? ” asked NBA superstar LeBron James of the Raiders tweet. “Nah man this ain’t it at all. The F^%K !!!! ” Davis said he would not delete the tweet. The Raiders owner said the idea for the tweet came from what Floyd’s brother Philonise said after the verdict.
“Today, we are able to breathe again,” Philonise said after the man who took his brother’s life last May was found guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder.
“I thought that said a lot,” Davis told the Associated Press. “It said a lot about everything. I thought it was something where we could all breathe again. Justice was served. We still have a lot of work to do on social justice and police brutality. But today, justice was served.”
Philonise Floyd issued a statement on Wednesday supporting Davis and the Raiders.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders organization and its leadership for their support of our family and for our nation’s ongoing pursuit of justice and equality for all.
“For the first time in almost a year, our family has taken a breath. And I know that goes for so many across the nation and globe, as well. Let’s take this breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George.”
Floyd told the Minneapolis cops “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times as Chauvin held his knee to Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes as the country looked on in horror.
Davis admitted to the AP that he didn’t know the phrase “I can breathe” was used by supporters of police following the death of Eric Garner in 2014 at the hands of an NYPD cop using a banned chokehold.
“It’s a tough situation,” Davis said. “I feel bad it was taken in a way it wasn’t meant to be done. That can only be my fault for not explaining it.”
The tweet remained pinned to the top of the Raiders Twitter account for hours.
“It was taken negatively by 99% of the people,” Davis said. “That happens. That’s part of social media.”